Local governments are at the forefront of open government reforms. Their smaller size allows for greater proximity to citizens, making it easier for them to meet demands for transparency, accountability and responsiveness. It also allows them to implement more targeted and innovative public policies and to promote the principles of open government.

The Province of Biscay has embraced an open government agenda as a way to improve government efficiency and effectiveness while bringing the administration closer to its citizens. Biscay has made significant progress by developing an Open Government Action Plan (OGAP), adopting the Provincial Law on transparency, and creating a stakeholder participation framework. However, the implementation of the OGAP remains fragmented inside the public administration and according to thematic area, and the Province could consider creating and institutionalizing a comprehensive open government strategy and mainstreaming existing stakeholder participation practices across sectors and throughout the entire policy cycle to ensure long-term success.

A country’s or province’s context plays an important role in the way its policies and service delivery are designed, implemented and monitored. It is crucial, therefore, to understand the drivers and the space in which open government reforms develop. The Province of Biscay has a particular multilevel governance mainly due to a division of competencies between the different administrations in the Basque Country (Basque Country, provinces and municipalities) that do not follow a hierarchical distribution. The whole region has a high degree of autonomy in relation to the central government of Spain. The main competencies of the Provinces of the Basque Country, including Biscay, are tax collection and policy, territorial planning, roads and public works, environment, cultural heritage and social welfare, as well as the economic and financial tutelage of the municipalities. Biscay is characterised by its high degree of autonomy. The fiscal system represents one of the region’s most notable characteristics, which establishes that the Basque Provinces are responsible for setting, collecting and distributing taxes.

This chapter sets the political, cultural and socio-economic context for open government in Biscay. The Province has a unique open government environment characterised by a particular multilevel governance and a favourable socio-economic and cultural context.

This chapter examines the enabling environment of the province of Biscay by assessing its open government policy framework, in particular, the Open Government Action Plan of Biscay, as well as its legal and regulatory framework, with a special view to the Provincial Law on Transparency of Biscay. The analysis focuses on how these elements contribute to the open government agenda in Biscay and provides recommendations on how to improve them.

This chapter analyses the internal capacities and current initiatives in place in the province of Biscay to ensure a culture of open government. In particular, it examines the Province’s institutional and co-ordination framework as well as its human and financial resources. Finally, it reviews Biscay’s information and communication technology (ICT) environment as a key enabler to modernise its public administration through open government reforms.

This chapter assesses the internal capacities and current initiatives in place in the province of Biscay to build a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for its public policies, as a commitment included in its Open Government Action Plan 2017‑19. It examines the institutional framework with a special emphasis on the actors involved in the development of the system. Furthermore, it focuses on the monitoring and evaluation of Biscay’s open government strategies and initiatives as a tool to enhance a new culture of governance.

This chapter describes the importance of stakeholder participation in policy making and in service delivery and illustrates how stakeholders can be involved through information, consultation and engagement. Equally, it assesses the legal, institutional and policy framework for successful stakeholder participation in the province of Biscay. Finally, it reviews how participation is carried out in the context of the open government agenda, as well as throughout the policy cycle, in Biscay.