Freedom of information in local government: rhetoric or reality?

E-government developments suggest positive changes are unfolding for local government, but hopes for a technology-driven future have outpaced knowledge of how e-government opportunities can be translated into action. This chapter argues that the existing gap between the e-government rhetoric and reality is due in-part to ineffective leadership and that the CFO is an underutilized resource. Remedies are sought by examining the dynamics of local government implementation and considering ways the CFO role could be reengineered while respecting local government needs and realities. The result is a look at a largely undiscovered e-government landscape offering new opportunities for improved leadership and more desirable e-government outcomes. Recommendations are offered for improving both practice and the academic research knowledge base.

Download Full-text

Freedom of Information: Local Government and Accountability20122Richard A. Chapman and Michael Hunt. Freedom of Information: Local Government and Accountability. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing 2010. £50.00 (hardback) 174 pp. 978 0754679772

Library Review ◽

10.1108/00242531211259355 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 61 (3) ◽

pp. 232-233

Author(s):

David McMenemy

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Freedom Of Information ◽

Ashgate Publishing

Download Full-text

Transparency in Local Governments: Patterns and Practices of Twenty-first Century

State and Local Government Review ◽

10.1177/0160323x20970245 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 0160323X2097024

Author(s):

Redeemer Dornudo Yao Krah ◽

Gerard Mertens

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Local Government ◽

Local Governments ◽

Social Economic ◽

Open Data ◽

First Century ◽

Institutional Factors ◽

Freedom Of Information ◽

Government Transparency ◽

Twenty First Century

The study is a systematic literature review that assembles scientific knowledge in local government transparency in the twenty-first Century. The study finds a remarkable growth in research on local government transparency in the first nineteen years, particularly in Europe and North America. Social, economic, political and institutional factors are found to account for this trend. In vogue among local governments is the use of information technology to enhance transparency. The pressure to become transparent largely comes from the passage of Freedom of Information Laws and open data initiatives of governments.

Download Full-text