ProtocolOverview

Protocol Overview

The OpenReason Protocol (ORP) is a standard for transparent, reproducible, and accountable policy reasoning.

Purpose

ORP provides a structured format for documenting:

  • Where your data comes from (provenance)
  • How you model consequences (simulation)
  • Who is affected and how (empathy mapping)
  • Who decided what and why (accountability)
  • How proposals can be forked (versioning)

Design Principles

  1. Transparency First - Every assumption, data source, and decision is documented
  2. Fork-Friendly - Anyone can fork a proposal and test alternative assumptions
  3. Machine-Readable - YAML/JSON format enables automated validation and comparison
  4. Human-Readable - Clear structure makes documents accessible to non-technical readers
  5. Progressive Disclosure - Three compliance levels (Basic → Standard → Full)

Core Concepts

Layers

ORP documents have 5 layers:

LayerNamePurpose
HeaderMetadataDocument ID, title, authors, version, compliance level
L1Data ProvenanceTrack all datasets: source, methodology, limitations
L2Consequence SimulationModel policy outcomes with scenarios and assumptions
L3Empathy MappingMap stakeholders, test minority impacts, assess welfare
L4Accountability LedgerTrack decisions: who, what, when, why
L5Fork RegistryTrack forks, enable comparisons, invite alternatives

Compliance Levels

  • ORP-Basic (Layer 1 only) - Minimum viable transparency
  • ORP-Standard (Layers 1-3) - Include simulation and empathy mapping
  • ORP-Full (All 5 layers) - Complete protocol with accountability and forking

See Compliance Levels for details.

Why ORP?

For Policy Makers

  • Document reasoning transparently
  • Enable stakeholder feedback on specific assumptions
  • Compare alternative scenarios systematically
  • Build credibility through transparency

For Researchers

  • Reproduce policy analysis
  • Test alternative assumptions
  • Compare proposals systematically
  • Build on existing work via forking

For Citizens

  • Understand policy reasoning
  • See what data informs decisions
  • Propose alternative assumptions
  • Hold decision-makers accountable

Example Use Cases

  • Tax Reform - Model revenue changes, map stakeholder impacts
  • Infrastructure Projects - Document cost-benefit analysis, track decisions
  • Healthcare Policy - Simulate coverage changes, test impacts on vulnerable groups
  • Climate Policy - Model emission reductions, map economic impacts
  • Education Reform - Simulate funding changes, track stakeholder effects

Protocol Versions

  • Current: ORP v0.1 (Released 2026-02)
  • Status: Production-ready with automated validation

See Specification for full ORP v0.1 details.

Governance

ORP is developed as an open standard by the Public Reason Project.

  • Open Development - All discussions happen in public
  • Community Input - Anyone can propose changes via GitLab issues
  • Versioned Releases - Semantic versioning ensures stability

See Governance for decision-making process.

Get Started

  1. Install the validator - pip install orp-validator
  2. Create your first document - Step-by-step guide
  3. See examples - Real-world ORP documents
  4. Read the spec - Full ORP v0.1 specification

Further Reading

Specification