Since the 70s of the last century, the term “open government” has been used. What does open government mean: a culture of governance, a method of building an open society, or a principle that provides access to information? Or is it a way to keep the government accountable to society for its actions? What trends prevail in the understanding of open government? On the one hand, it is generally accepted to consider digitalization as a key criterion for open government.
But is it possible to put an equal sign between open government and a digital state? Does digitalization open up new horizons for understanding human society or is it only a tool that is equally ready to serve the interests of both open and closed governments and societies? On the other hand, is civil society able to take advantage of open government? What comes first here: open government or open society? How to make citizens partners of open government? Finally, the “eternal fears” of governments are the managerial dilemma of openness vs. security in both domestic and foreign policy.