Open Government Team
Written 12 posts
What does phase 2 of Action Plan co-creation mean?
8th December 2025
Wrapping up phase 1 We are reaching the end of phase 1 of the Open Government Action Plan co-creation process. We have spent phase 1 listening and trying to understand what makes a trustworthy and transparent government. You can find out more about what has come out of discussions that SCDC has been running with…
Community conversations on trust in government with SCDC: snapshot summary
8th December 2025
Over the last week or so the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) team have been speaking to people from across Scotland to hear their views on what trust and transparency in government means to them. While the process is very much ongoing, we wanted to provide a brief snapshot of our discussions so far. what…
Approaching the debate on trust in Scottish Government – Guest post from Lilli Wolland Blomberg, PhD intern
5th December 2025
In August 2025 we welcomed Lilli Wolland Blomberg from the University of Edinburgh Law School as a PhD intern to the Open Government Team. Her research focus is to examine the knowledge on trust in government. We see a global trend of declining trust in governments, which is argued to pose a challenge for democracies…
An update on our trust and transparency work from Juliet Swann, Co-chair of the Open Government Steering Group
17th October 2025
Why do people trust or distrust government? At the last Open Government Steering Group meeting we tried to figure out how we might find answers to this question. We want to know what makes people feel they can trust a person or an institution. We also want to learn how distrust develops and grows, and…
Involving people in developing, designing, and improving health and care services in Scotland: an introduction
12th September 2025
Rachel Dowle from the Office of the Chief Designer tells us what it is like being part of the team driving forwards the very first Open Government commitment for Health and Social Care in Scotland. This piece is the first of a number of posts that Rachel and the team will publish, exploring different aspects…
A conversation with Sarah Davidson on trust and the First Minister’s Democracy Gathering
7th August 2025
Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive of Carnegie UK, spoke on the importance of trust in politics and institutions to an audience of civil society representatives, faith leaders, trade unions, and politicians at the First Minister’s democracy gathering in April. This event saw a commitment to taking action to safeguard Scotland’s democracy. We had a chance to…
Open Data: Working Together and Innovating for Impact
4th August 2025
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government’s Open Data Team worked with a group from the University of Edinburgh’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation MSc programme. Louise Meikleham, Senior Data Policy Officer, reflects on the project and its impact. Open data is often seen as a tool to fuel innovation, grow the economy, empower communities and drive transparency….
Hope plus delivery equals trust
6th June 2025
Following the First Minister’s Democracy Gathering in April, we asked if the speakers from the event could contribute their reflections to our blog. Juliet Swann, from Transparency International UK and co-chair of the Open Government Steering Group is the first to offer their thoughts. Reflections from Juliet Swann When the First Minister announced he was…
Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund: year three
29th May 2025
The Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund is part of our commitment to public participation in the Open Government Action Plan 2021-2025. Read about what’s been happening in it’s 3 years and the impact the fund has had on communities in the North East of Scotland. The Just Transition Participatory Budgeting (JTPB) Fund, supported through the…
What a year as Co-chair of the Open Government Steering Group
13th May 2025
It’s been roughly a year since I took on the role of Minister for Parliamentary Business. With that has come my role as Co-Chair of the Open Government Steering Group in Scotland. When I think about the past year as part of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), I’m really impressed by the innovative ideas, ambition,…