This collection of essays, interviews, and case studies provides a multi-faceted and nonpartisan account of government as it becomes more transparent, collaborative, and participatory. Each chapter expresses the views of its prominent author, and the book as a whole offers a persuasive argument for transparency and interactivity in government at all levels. As a handbook for advocates of openness and e-government, "Open Government" provides a valuable mosaic of opinions from leading politicians, journalists, programmers, professors, and visionaries, making it a must-read, particularly in light of current events and technologies. Topics of this title include: the beautiful vision - seamless access to government information that is remixable, meaningful citizen interaction with government officials, and improved government effectiveness through realtime data analysis and visualization; transparency in the U.S. and abroad - solutions to bureaucratic indifference as well as government procurement biased towards proprietary, closed-source vendors; open, semantic government using Web 2.0 technologies - mashing up government data, knowledge management via wiki, and the open source approach to government; and, government 2. 0 agenda for public participation - reforming government procurement, mandating the use of open standards, and bringing citizens into the government process. "Open Government" editor Daniel Lathrop is a former investigative projects reporter with the Seattle Post Intelligencer who's covered politics in Washington state, Iowa, Florida, and Washington D.C. He's a specialist in campaign finance and 'computer-assisted reporting' - the practice of using data analysis to report the news.