Tim Hughes
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timjhughes.bsky.social
Tim Hughes
@timjhughes.bsky.social
All things democracy, open gov & participation, with a sprinkling of climbing, photography & Ipswich Town.

Democracy & Participation Lead at Open Government Partnership, trustee at MySociety, & former exec director at Involve.
Excited to be at #TICTeC this week. The wonderful @itscrowbot.bsky.social kicking things off
June 10, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Setting off for #RightsCon2025 in Taiwan this coming week. Let me know if you’re around and want to talk participatory digital governance, or generally about the intersection of digital and #opengov.
February 22, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Tim Hughes
👩‍💻 In a rapidly evolving digital world, how can governments and civil society collaborate for inclusive, participatory digital governance?

Join OGP at #RightsCon2025 for “People-Centered Digital Governance: Experiences from the Global South”.

🔗 Learn more: www.rightscon.org/program/#:~:...
February 20, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Hello, BlueSky! We're the Open Government Partnership —a global community of governments, civil society, and changemakers working together to make governments more transparent, accountable, and inclusive.
February 18, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Tim Hughes
After months of trawling through multiple sources, we've got the full picture of the current state of MPs' financial interests, from second jobs to gifts & donations.
Do join our report launch online on 4 March with @rosewhiff.bsky.social and @chriscook.news : www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/whofundsth...
February 17, 2025 at 10:34 AM
A few thoughts on what it means to mainstream public participation in decision making from what we're seeing across @opengovpart.bsky.social www.opengovpartnership.org/stories/what...
What Does it Mean to Mainstream Participation in Decision-Making? - Open Government Partnership
A “deliberative wave” is sweeping the world, but how much policy change is it leaving in its wake? The OECD has tracked citizens’ assemblies and other deliberative processes across 34 countries, with ...
www.opengovpartnership.org
December 11, 2024 at 2:07 PM
Reposted by Tim Hughes
The Observer had early sight of our report out next week on the money that funds UK election campaigns.

We found that gaps in political finance rules are failing to stop money from questionable sources being funnelled into our politics.

More here:
Revealed: UK politics infiltrated by ‘dark money’ with 10% of donations from dubious sources
Cash from dictatorships and shell companies is entering the political system via legal loopholes
www.theguardian.com
November 30, 2024 at 4:15 PM
“Perceptions of having a say in government actions influence trust more than socio-economic and demographic characteristics do.”

This is a key finding from the OECD drivers of trust survey for anyone promoting participatory democracy or democratic innovation!

www.oecd.org/en/publicati...
OECD Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions – 2024 Results
This report presents the main findings of the second OECD cross-national Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions, carried out in late 2023. With nearly 60 000 responses, representative of th...
www.oecd.org
November 19, 2024 at 9:12 PM
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Seems lots of new people joined Bluesky over the weekend, so I'm re-upping this starter pack I created of people working on democratic innovations for a more participatory and deliberative politics.

Still room for others to be added, so give me a shout if I missed you.
go.bsky.app/LX11yEA #polisky
November 11, 2024 at 11:25 AM
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Another starter pack!

The Data and AI Civil Society Network starter pack, for your data and AI (etc) policy needs

go.bsky.app/FDKqcty

(More: bsky.app/profile/gavi...)
August 21, 2024 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Tim Hughes
🚨 New Register of Members' Financial Interests alert! 🚨

We've:
📊 made all the data available as a spreadsheet
🕴️ updated MP profiles on TheyWorkForYou

👀 Now our attention turns to restarting our WhoFundsThem project next month

Details on the blog 👇

www.mysociety.org/2024/08/19/t...
The new Register of Members Financial Interests is out and we have thoughts (and spreadsheets)
We’ve updated MP profiles on TheyWorkForYou, made the data available as a spreadsheet, and with our WhoFundsThem project we’re working to create easy-to-understand summaries.
www.mysociety.org
August 19, 2024 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Tim Hughes
📣 We're hiring 📣

Could you be our next Chief Executive?

We're looking for a passionate and experienced leader to drive forward our work to make community power the dominant idea shaping policy and practice at national and local levels.

www.newlocal.org.uk/about/jobs
August 19, 2024 at 11:25 AM
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Here I am, popping up in Politico on my favourite topic: AI boosterism and the perils of bad advice from TBI
We would, however, caution any Westminster over-optimism about the power of AI as 'silver bullet.' As @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social puts it - 'technology is not free'... and nor should we assume it will bring greater liberty to workers, unless very carefully managed. www.politico.eu/article/tony...
Tony Blair’s AI mania sweeps Britain’s new government
The former PM sees artificial intelligence as a silver bullet for ailing public services, government inefficiency and a stagnant economy. Is he right?
www.politico.eu
August 19, 2024 at 8:16 AM
After a long 22 year absence, tomorrow Ipswich Town play their first game back in the Premier League.

Will the dream continue this year, or will it be a rude awakening? Can’t wait to find out! 💙 #itfc
youtu.be/dUghYWnAxjI?...
Under The Skin | Ipswich Town
YouTube video by Ipswich Town FC
youtu.be
August 16, 2024 at 5:31 PM
Governments are the biggest data controllers, but are they prepared to balance power and privacy in the #AI era?

New article by colleagues at OGP & Open Data Charter
medium.com/ogp-horizons...
State Capacity and Data Control in the Age of AI
Governments lack key abilities to manage data processing, even their own.
medium.com
August 16, 2024 at 12:33 PM
How can democratic societies counter disinformation? This guide is the best resource I've found on evidence-based solutions.

TL;DR: No silver bullet. Portfolio approach. Structural reforms (e.g. local journalism, media literacy). And look beyond tech platforms.
carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
Countering Disinformation Effectively: An Evidence-Based Policy Guide
A high-level, evidence-informed guide to some of the major proposals for how democratic governments, platforms, and others can counter disinformation.
carnegieendowment.org
August 15, 2024 at 3:03 PM
So this is where everyone has been hanging out...
August 15, 2024 at 2:49 PM