Determinants of Fiscal Transparency and Right to Information Reforms: A Study of Provincial Governments in Argentina

Using a novel dataset and conducting a multiple linear regression analysis, this study aims to answer the following research question: What explains the variation in the level of provincial government transparency in Argentina? This article examines two policy areas—fiscal transparency and right to information (RTI)—and tests five hypotheses related to democracy (electoral competition and turnover), government digital capacity, citizens’ internet access, and press visibility. Fiscal transparency is positively associated with electoral competition and population size; RTI law strength appears to be positively associated with gubernatorial turnover and development. However, government digital capacity, citizens’ internet access and press visibility do not appear to significantly influence transparency levels.

Glocal FOI: Local Government Transparency Across the World

An increasing number of studies are focusing on access to government information across different nations, which is sorely needed to figure out what is the most effective information ecosystem for the average citizen. The studies in this issue of the journal do just that, examining transparency at the subnational levels in the United Kingdom and Argentina.

United Kingdom Freedom of Information Act 2000, Local Government and Everyday Regimes of Practice

The United Kingdom’s Freedom of Information Act 2000 commenced in 2005 with the objectives of openness and transparency, accountability, better decision making and public involvement in decision making. However, there have been limited studies of its long-term impacts on government practices and how far the Act has delivered on its stated objectives, and even fewer studies into how Freedom of Information works in practice, especially at local government level. Addressing these gaps in existing knowledge, this research seeks to critically evaluate existing regimes of practices across local authorities. It seeks to identify the multiple practices surrounding the implementation of the 2000 Act, evaluate how these practices are reproduced, and generate lessons for practice and alternative modes of delivering Freedom of Information.

Ghosted by Government

Public records laws across the United States operate under the presumption that citizens should have access to government records, but obtaining this information is not always a simple undertaking. Although state public records laws vary, only a few establish a requirement that government entities acknowledge the existence of a request. And while some state laws mandate a time limit within which entities are supposed to produce records or issue a denial, those limits vary considerably from the specific three business days to the vague requirement of promptness. We analyzed these requirements in the 50 states and recommend policy changes that would hold government entities accountable to requestors and create a more level playing field for citizens seeking public records that should presumptively be open.

Eliminating a Barrier to Access: Waiving or Reducing Fees for Public Records in Florida

Florida, the Sunshine State, is one of the few states that includes a right of access to public records in its constitution. While Florida guarantees a right of access to every person, special service charges and high costs for public records restrict access to only requestors with the financial resources to pay for requests. Some agencies assert that waiving fees for requests that have a public interest would be significantly costly. This article builds on research showing that a fee waiver for requests made in the public interest would have minimal effect on Florida municipalities. This article analyzes agency public records logs to assess how a fee waiver for requests made for noncommercial purposes and in the public interest would affect state agencies. This article finds that only 14% of requests reviewed would be entitled to a fee waiver.

Editor's Note

On this Halloween, we investigate daunting barriers to government transparency, such as exhorbitant fees and eery silence. We also celebrate two years of the journal's existence, providing two dozen excellent peer-reviewed research articles in an open-access environment.

Editor's Note

More and more evidence, including new research published in this issue of the Journal of Civic Information, supports the notion that nonprofit broadbased freedom of information organizations are associated with stronger governmental transparency within their states.

Nearly Extinct in the Wild: The Vulnerable Transparency of the Endangered Species List

This article reconstructs the Endangered Species Act as a government information statute. That Act makes use of an official list of vulnerable creatures that is used for agency action to save them from extinction. This article argues that the official list of species is not sufficiently accurate or transparent to citizens, so the compilation of that list does not satisfy the public interest goals of American environmental law or government transparency policy.

Inherent Frictions and Deliberate Frustrations: Examining the Legal Variables of State FOI Law Administration

FOI laws are of a category of laws acutely predisposed to internal resistance and erosion. The study seeks to better understand these limitations by examining legal elements of the laws through an exploratory field study, or audit, of nine state FOI laws. Among the study’s findings are two uniquely strong predictors of better FOI results: The existence of an independent FOI advocacy organization in the state and a legislature subject to the law. The findings suggest cultivating a culture of transparency may be as or more important than any of the generally considered legal variables, such as deadlines or penalties.

Freedom of the Database

As government operations at all levels have become increasingly computerized, records of those activities have moved from paper to databases. Yet there has been little empirical research about the public’s ability to access such records in practice. This study uses field research to assess how 44 public universities respond to records requests of varying complexity for structured data. Sampled universities produced responsive structured data without a fee in slightly more than a quarter of requests, meaning the vast majority of requests failed to yield the information sought in a structured format and for free.