Public participation, community engagement, and other forms of open government are cornerstones of democracy and the American democratic tradition. The United States will 1) develop a new Federal Framework for Public Participation and Community Engagement (PPCE) to strengthen and amplify PPCE efforts across all Federal Agencies, and to increase civic engagement, inclusion of, and trust with the American public, and 2) supplement the Framework with a new U.S. Federal PPCE Toolkit, which will serve as a living repository of leading practices, guidance, and case studies for the Federal government.

Problem(s) Addressed by Reform

The Open Government Directive requires U.S. Federal Agencies to take concrete steps to implement the principles of transparency, participation and collaboration in order to create a more open government. While Agencies continue making important strides in adopting the principles of open government, they can benefit from more specific tools and guidelines to ensure this work is mainstreamed and scaled across Federal efforts, and to increase civic engagement, inclusion of, and trust with the American public.

The new PPCE Framework will help: strengthen participation and engagement activities already underway across the Federal government; serve as a resource for Agencies undertaking PPCE activities for the first time; and provide guidance that Agencies can incorporate into new or existing processes and activities over time. In addition to serving as a living repository of leading practices, guidance, and case studies for all Federal Agencies, the new U.S. Federal PPCE Toolkit will also provide tailored recommendations for Federal Agencies to engage partners at the state, local, Tribal, and territorial levels.

Relevance to OGP Values

Public participation, community engagement, and other forms of open government are cornerstones of democracy and the American democratic tradition. The PPCE Framework and associated Toolkit will help enhance and expand existing efforts to promote PPCE across all Federal engagements.

Intended Results

Intended results by the end of the implementation period include:
– The United States will have an operating PPCE Framework and a PPCE Toolkit; and
– Federal Agencies will be actively using and contributing to the PPCE Toolkit and its living repository of PPCE leading practices, guidance, and case studies.

Milestones

Key milestones include: