Panel Discussion

Changing the Paradigm

—Mike Wood, Director, Recovery.gov

Achieving the Obama Administration's goals for good government, transparency and accountability requires a fresh look at how government works and who it works with. Reaching out to NGOs, citizens and private sector as partners has opened up a new pathway to innovation. Cross sector collaboration and an open exchange of ideas is spurring creativity and redefining government approaches. Diverse panelists from government and outside of government will share their experiences and perspectives going forward.

When it to comes to the Recovery Act, President Obama promised that "every American will be able to go online and see where and how we're spending every dime…" It was the responsibility of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board to implement this agenda. As a first step, the Board, working with the Office of Management and Budget, established a new, online reporting system for recipients of Recovery Act funds. To go beyond basic transparency and make the data more useful and understandable the Recovery Board employed GIS technology to put the recipient reports an interactive website called Recovery.gov. Using this Internet map citizens can now personalize their view of stimulus spending and explore their own neighborhoods. Engaging and empowering citizens in this way delivers transparency and a foundation for accountability – and is the new model being employed for general government spending.