K-Monitor Tracking Conflict of Interest, Lobby and Corruption Through Open Legislative Data 6th July, 2012.

K-Monitor

Tracking Conflict of Interest, Lobby and

Corruption Through Open Legislative Data6th July, 2012

Likes:• transparency•open data•Structured, searchable datasets•Unveiling corruption cases•Helping investigative journalists

Dislikes:•Corruption•Misuse of public funds•Nepotism

Hungarian Parliaments websiteHungarian Parliaments website

•bills, amendments, hearings (searchable via sector codes)•names of MPs submitting the bills•MP, fraction, comittee profiles•statistics•voting tendencies•MPs active in the sector•asset declarations•deviation from fraction

•business interests •business networks•received state supports / procurement tenders

•dubious cases investigated by the press

tracking conflict of interest

track legal changes in the sector (subscribe to feed)

an investigative journalist can…

navigate to the comittee subpage, learn the names of the MPs drafting the bill

navigate to the MPs profile page

look for the profile of the related companies (does this company profits from bill amendments?)

look at the charts in the profile pages of MPs (activity, presence, bills submitted, asset declarations)

a citizen can…

look at the business interests and find out if some info is missing

add new connection on the crowd-sourcing interface

if there is a serious gap between asset declarations, and business interests revealed on ‘The Network’, he can write an email to the MP

can check if they were mentioned in corruption –like cases

download different statistics and embed them in his work

a researcher can…

looking at MPs active in the sector

detect lobby-driven decisions

analyze health care procurements

analyze health-care related fraud/corruption cases

get statistics about the the work, activity, discipline in the parties, common topics

check networks of parties, main business partners (procurements, ‘close’ companies, connected businessmen etc.)

analyze how corruption cases of parties have been handled by the media

an entrepreneur/businessman can…

realize that all the lucky cities belong to the constituency of the same MP

learn that MP was a member of the agricultural chamber together w. the DG of Rural Development Office …

check farm subsidies (why always other people win?)

…and they usually hunt together

possible conflicts of interest are signalled on the website

Thank you!