Openness represents a key condition of democracy since it allows citizens to receive information and knowledge, necessary for an equal participation in political life, effective decision-making and holding institutions accountable for policies which they conduct.
Around the world institutions undertake specific activities with the aim to increasing their transparency and accountability to citizens. The Iraq Government Openness Index is established in order to define to which degree citizens of Iraq receive opportune and understandable information from their Government.
The openness index measures a degree up to which of the Iraqi government is open for citizens and society and it is based on the following four principles: 1) transparency, 2) accessibility, 3) integrity and 4) Awareness.
The principle of transparency includes that organizational information, budget and procedure of public procurements are publicly available and published. Accessibility is related to ensuring and respecting procedures for a free access to information, improving availability of information through a mechanism of a public debate and strengthening interaction with citizens. Integrity comprises of a mechanism for prevention of corruption, conducting code of ethics and regulations of lobbying. The last principle, effectiveness, refers to monitoring and evaluation of policies conducted by institutions.