Arab Countries: A study by two University of Arizona journalism professors indicates that Arab countries are not quite ready to embrace government transparency, according to a study published in the recent issue of Government Information Quarterly. Jeannine Relly and David Cuillier examined 12 political, cultural and economic factors that have been associated with countries that adopt freedom-of-information laws, such as press freedom, lack of corruption, women’s rights, literacy, wealth and telecommunications infrastructure. They found that Arab countries closely mirror other countries that haven’t adopted freedom-of-information laws, suggesting that the political, cultural and economic environments are not conducive for government transparency in the Arab world.
Libraries: The latest issue of Library Technology Reports addresses Privacy and Freedom of Information in 21st-Century Libraries with variety of authors.
India: The Accountability Initiative is an independent effort to strengthen accountability for improved public service delivery in India by developing innovative models to track government programs, disseminating this information to citizens and policymakers and undertaking research on how to strengthen accountability for improved service delivery. The website http://www.accountabilityindia.org/ is designed as a comprehensive resource on the state of accountability in India with information on civil society experiments, accountability tool kits, and relevant research and analytical work.
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