In the past few years, Argentina has gone through a cyclical process in terms of State openness public policies. The path traveled since the enactment of decree 1172/2003 on access to public information, its joining the Open Government Partnership in November 2012, and passing of Act 27275/2016 that regulates access to public information has not been immune to ups and downs, and has included many challenges. Building on previous research (Gattoni: 2015 and 2016), this paper presents a brief overview of State openness, contrasting it with the concept of open government. Later on, I analyze the case of Argentina and explain how the participation of experts, the rights of access to information and the structure of political opportunities (type of government, structure of the executive cabinet, and cohesion of the governing elites) had an influence on the cyclic process of participation, transparency, and access to information policies. I conclude by reflecting on how these cycles and ups and downs have impacted the design, consultation, and implementation of open government action plans.