Whois & Analysis for texastransparency.org

Open government is the governing doctrine which holds that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight.

In its broadest construction it opposes reason of state and other considerations, which have tended to legitimize extensive state secrecy.

The origins of open government arguments can be dated to the time of the European Enlightenment: to debates about the proper construction of a then nascent democratic society.

Transparency, as used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in other social contexts, implies openness, communication, and accountability.

Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed.

It has been defined simply as "the perceived quality of intentionally shared information from a sender".

In ethics and governance, accountability is answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving.

As an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the public sector, nonprofit and private (corporate) and individual contexts.

In leadership roles, accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for actions, products, decisions, and policies including the administration, governance, and implementation within the scope of the role or employment position and encompassing the obligation to report, explain and be answerable for resulting consequences.

Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population.

Geographically located in the south central part of the country, Texas shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, while the Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast.

Local government is a form of public administration which, in a majority of contexts, exists as the lowest tier of administration within a given state.

The term is used to contrast with offices at state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or (where appropriate) federal government and also to supranational government which deals with governing institutions between states.

Local governments generally act within powers delegated to them by legislation or directives of the higher level of government.

In federal states, local government generally comprises the third (or sometimes fourth) tier of government, whereas in unitary states, local government usually occupies the second or third tier of government, often with greater powers than higher-level administrative divisions.