Posts Tagged ‘events/conferences’
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4 October 2011
WikiLeaks Is Topic for Panel at Ottawa ICIC Meeting
The significance of WikiLeaks was discussed Oct. 4 by a panel at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners. WikiLeaks has not turned out to be a game-changer in terms of transparency for four main reasons, according to Alasdair Roberts, Rappaport Professor of Law and Public Policy, Suffolk University (US). “A year ago we did […]
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4 October 2011
Business Value of Information Discussed at ICIC Session
The potential for the business community to be an ally for freedom of information, the financial case for transparency, and innovative efforts to disseminate legal information were the topics of three talks Oct. 4 at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners in Ottawa. The speakers appeared on a panel titled “Access to economic growth: […]
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4 October 2011
Strategies for Access Offered at ICIC Session in Ottawa
Various strategies for advancing access to information were discussed during one session Oct. 4 at the 7th International Conference on Information Commissioners in Ottawa. The list of ideas for nongovernmental groups to use was offered along and the utility of various human rights arguments to obtain information also was explored. Nathalie Des Rosier, general counsel […]
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19 August 2011
Variety of Topics on Agenda for ICIC Meeting in Canada
A dozen sessions on a wide variety of topics are planned for the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC 2011) in Ottawa, Canada, on Oct. 4 and 5. The topics of sessions are: Oversight: Is there an optimal model for protecting access to information rights? Freedom of Information across frontiers: The lifeblood of human […]
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13 June 2011
OAS Approves Resolutions on Access to Information, Truth
The General Assembly of the Organization of American States, meeting in El Salvador June 5-7, approved resolutions on access to public information, protection of personal data, access to the truth about past human rights violations, and many other topics. (See OAS press release and links to the declaration in English and Spanish.) While recalling past […]
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24 May 2011
Donor Community Eager for Deeper Research, Tisne Says
Martin Tisne, program manager for the Transparency and Accountability Initiative, a research effort set up about a year ago by eight major funders to inform their work, suggested May 20 that considerable additional research is necessary, not only to understand the impact of FOI laws, but to know how change occurs. His remarks sparked some […]
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24 May 2011
Reasons Advanced for Lack of African FOI Laws
Why does Africa have comparatively few freedom of information laws? The reasons were explored in a number of papers presented at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) One reason is that the western, liberal concept of access to information conflicts with different traditions […]
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24 May 2011
Next Steps on Transparency Research Sketched
What additional research is needed on in the area of transparency? Concluding the transparency conference at Rutgers University-Newark May 20, about 70 persons gathered for a session on follow-up ideas, with the remarks of several panelists almost universally preceded by praise for the value of the multidisciplinary gathering. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) Yamini Aiyar, […]
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24 May 2011
FOI Passage Factors Elucidated in Research
Several papers addressing the various influences on passage of FOI laws were offered at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) They concerned Latin America and the media’s role, the risks of comparative and China. Looking at Latin America, political scientist Greg Michener […]
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24 May 2011
Theory, Philosophy of Transparency Explored
Papers exploring the theories and philosophies of transparency, and even its definition, were presented at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) “Questioning the moral attachment to transparency,” by Clare Birchall, University of Kent, UK, expressed concern that “the left” has “abandoned secrecy […]
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24 May 2011
Mexican RTI Case Study Looks at Facilitating Factors
A major study in Mexico has identified a variety of non-legal factors that facilitate a strong transparency system. The results were presented at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) Researchers from the Mexican Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE) looked […]
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24 May 2011
Problems Seen With Government Websites
Local government websites still have a long way to go, according to a number of surveys described at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) A detailed look at municipal websites in the Ukraine indicated that many cities lack sites and that many […]
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24 May 2011
Is Transparency Losing in Fight With Corruption?
The influence of transparency on fighting corruption was questioned in several papers presented at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) The Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) “has at best been ineffective in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, and the assumed […]
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24 May 2011
Transparency, Trust Dynamic Explored in New Studies
Whether more transparency generates trust in government was examined in several studies presented at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) Exploring “the relationship between transparency and power,” three Danish researchers stated, among other findings: “While transparency is often seen as a panacea to […]
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24 May 2011
Is WikiLeaks a New Chapter in Transparency History?
What’s new about the WikiLeaks phenomenon is that retribution is difficult, the sheer quantities of information released, and the potential for searches of the disclosed materials, according to Christopher Hood, the Gladstone Professor of Government and Fellow at All Souls, Oxford, U.K., and the author of a book titled “Transparency: the Key to Better Governance?” […]
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24 May 2011
Transparency Researchers Gather at Rutgers Conference
With 130 research papers presented in 30 sessions over two days, The First Global Conference on Transparency Research showcased an emerging area of research. Some 160 participants from many countries attended the meeting, held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J., engaged in multidisciplinary exchanges and networking. Roughly one–third came from civil society groups, international governmental […]
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24 May 2011
Papers Probe Drivers of Transparency in China
Emerging transparency in China and what explains it was the topic of two papers presented at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) In “the first empirical study uncovering the drivers of fiscal transparency in China,” Liang Ma and Jiannan Wu of Xi’an Jiaotong […]
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24 May 2011
Studies Explore Transparency Performance in South Korea
Good experiences with virtual local government builds trust, according to a study on South Korea presented at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) The study found that “satisfaction with the user-friendliness of e-participation applications directly and positively affects participants’ social learning and […]
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24 May 2011
Researchers Examine Future of Open Data in Latin America
Two preliminary views of the future of the open data movement in Latin America were presented at The First Global Conference on Transparency Research held May 19-20 at Rutgers University-Newark, N.J. (See overall report in FreedomInfo.org.) One examination concluded that it is still “early days” and suggests that better coordination is needed between right to information campaigners […]
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20 April 2011
Seminar, Activities Mark 2nd Anniversary of Chile FOI Law
By Emilene Martínez Transparency Programs Coordinator at the National Security Archive Diverse activities will be held in Chile the week of April 18 to commemorate the second anniversary of Chile’s Access to Information Law – among them the signing of a draft of a Public Probity Law by President Sebastián Piñera; an International Seminar in […]