The issue kind of came to the forefront again with the healthcare.gov rollout and ensuing trainwreck.
The inimitable Paul Ford took the opportunity to argue that this is a perfect example of why government software should follow open-source development principles practiced in much of the private software industry.
I agree that publicly-owned and managed software is not only a candidate for the application of open-source principles but perhaps the ultimate candidate. However, I don't think open-sourcing government IT is going to be the whole solution, nor is the solution "a more agile process" as some think it would be.