Happy Birthday, Open Government Directive

[Commentary] One year ago, President Obama kicked off a bold experiment in making the federal government more open and participatory.

The administration's Open Government Directive required federal agencies to tell the public how they will become more transparent, participatory and collaborative. During the past year, agencies have made significant progress toward these goals, but there is still a long road ahead. They will need additional support and direction from the administration to become more accountable to the public. But we believe the process Obama set in motion can be a transformative one. The primary success of the Open Government Directive to date has been developing infrastructure that makes information more available to the public and that increases opportunities for people to provide agencies with input and feedback.

[Carolyn Lukensmeyer is founder and president of AmericaSpeaks, a national nonprofit that engages citizens in policymaking. Patrice McDermott is director of OpenTheGovernment.org, a coalition that seeks to promote openness and reduce secrecy in government.]