A rights-based approach to open government data

Open Government Data(OGD) is the latest entrant to the field of Governance and to its sub-field of transparency and accountability. The data on many rights-based programmes are increasingly being published in the public domain to enable citizens to claim their rights. However, publishing data might not lead to effective use. Using the case of India's public works programme - the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(MGNREGA), we argue that there is a mismatch between the rights-based approach of the development interventions and the assumptions of OGD. We conclude by arguing for the need to ground OGD initiatives in a rights-based framework.