Open government in Ghana : its implementation, challenges and the way forward

Abstract

The idea of ‘open’ is increasingly gaining grounds in modern day political and academic discussions, being envisioned as a new mode of being, gaining considerable significance, and seen as relevant to many spheres of life. Open Society (société ouverte) as a term was coined by Henri Bergson, a French philosopher in his book, The Two Sources of Morality and Religion in 1932 in which he contrasted an open society with what he referred to as closed society, which he defined as a closed system of law, morality, or religion. According to Bergson, one source is tribal, which results in a closed society in which members have a strong bond with one another and distrust or animosity toward other tribes. The other source, on the other hand, is universal and contributes to an open society that is governed by universal human rights and aims to protect and promote personal freedom. The concept of open society was further expanded by the Austrian-born British philosopher Karl Popper who is now often associated with the idea as he gave popularity to it. In his 1945 book, The Open Society and its Enemies, Popper develops a theoretical framework centred on a dichotomy between the open society and the closed society. He asserts that openness offers the greatest opportunities for knowledge generation and subsequently, better decision making. He further justifies the importance of openness by arguing that no one can solely decide for sure what the best path for society is, from the outset. Popper noted that abstract, fundamental philosophies such as communism and fascism, which claim to hold the absolute truth, can threaten open societies. Popper being a philosopher of science believed that the ultimate truth is beyond the comprehension of the human intellect. He therefore argues that ideologies like communism and fascism which seek to eliminate uncertainty are critically flawed. According to him, they are guaranteed to be inaccurate and misleading precisely because they claim to be in control of the ultimate truth and that only by different means of repression will these philosophies be enforced on society. He noted that an open society, however, acknowledges the uncertainties that come with our incomplete understanding and aims to create laws and institutions that permit persons with opposing opinions and interests to coexist peacefully. These laws and institutions are uniquely characterized by the fact that they uphold individual freedom.