Here in Brazil we have the LAI (Lei do Acesso à Informação) that help us investigate the government. This is from a former teacher of mine that used the data to see how much the government spent in publicity the last year.
This is a good way to use simple data to put some pressure in the government.
http://livre.jor.br/governo-gastou-em-media-r-205-mil-em-publicidade-por-dia-neste-ano/