I'm having a conversation with a friend regarding what works about free software. One issue that's crucial, IMO, is the principle of transparency, and the idea that complexity is the enemy of programmers.

I believe the same principles carry over elsewhere. In business and politics, as in software, transparancy may increase embarassment from time to time, but it also does a hell of a job of keeping things straight and level. I'll note indirectly that the present administration, in its Enron dealings and elsewhere, is attempting to skirt just this transparency.