Posts Tagged ‘transparency research’
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23 October 2014
Carnegie Commentators Score Use of Four Principles
“Four key principles—accountability, transparency, participation, and inclusion—have in recent years become nearly universal features of the policy statements and programs of international development organizations. Yet this apparently widespread new consensus is deceptive: behind the ringing declarations lie fundamental fissures over the value and application of these concepts. Understanding and addressing these divisions is crucial to […]
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2 October 2014
Africa’s Progress on RTI Assessed in Two Reports
Two key groups advocating for right to information laws in Africa have issued detailed reports, both calling for intensified efforts to continue progress and taking a close look at national situations. The Africa Freedom of Information Centre Sept. 29 launched its first State of the Right to Information in Africa Report. The report is on […]
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15 September 2014
FOI Notes: Transparency Research, Open Contracting, Global Conference Invites Papers
Transparency Research: A new version of the #OpenGovNow portal includes data from a survey conducted in 62 countries to measure perceptions and demand for openness. Country by country data is available on the answers to the questions of “How open is your government?” and “Do you want your government to be more open?” It also includes […]
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11 September 2014
FOI Center of Armenia Issues Comprehensive Evaluation
Using a new and comprehensive assessment tool, the Freedom of Information Center of Armenia has evaluated and compared the level of transparency and openness of the Armenian government bodies. The center used 53 criteria to create the transparency ratings and plans to repeat the study annually. Thirty-seven state administration bodies were evaluated this year including […]
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10 September 2014
World Bank Sees Gaps on Data About Access
Data about national right to information systems is weak and widely varied, according to a World Bank report unveiled Sept. 10, and there’s a need for “a global dialogue on reporting standards.” “It is very import to get the information so you can improve the process if it is not working,” said Stephanie E. Trapnell, […]
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7 August 2014
FOI Notes: Russia, Africa, Open Data, OGP, US, Germany, India, More
Russia: Russia’s Federal Migration Service is seeking to deport the American wife of Ivan Y. Pavlov, the founder of the Institute for Freedom of Information Development, the New York Times reported. His wife, Jennifer Gaspar, has lived in Russia for a decade, working for a variety of nongovernmental organizations, including groups focused on human rights […]
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5 August 2014
New System Evaluates Four Countries’ Online Disclosures
The adequacy of online information disclosure in four countries has been tested with a new methodology that the researchers hope can be refined for wider use. The study covers four countries – Russia, the United States, Georgia and Belarus. It examines whether their official websites provide information in 47 specific categories and rates the adequacy […]
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18 July 2014
Women Seeking Information in Liberia Face Barriers
Barriers exist that limit women’s access to information they want, according to a study done in Liberia by the Carter Center. “Structural and cultural barriers exist that impede women’s facility to exercise the fundamental right to information,” the report concludes. It states that women “want information about education, land/property ownership, and how to start and maintain […]
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8 July 2014
FOI Notes: Australia, Pakistan, UK, US, Open Data
Australia: The government has made FOI statistics available in a machine-readable format, according to a report in Computer World. Pakistan: “The State of Right to Information in Pakistan” by the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) recommends steps to implement the new RTI laws in the states of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. In a nationwide […]
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7 July 2014
Study Details Weaknesses in Indian RTI Implementation
Tens of thousands of right to information appeals are pending in India, according to a comprehensive study published by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. More than 66,000 appeals and complaints cases were pending in the only six information commissions where data was available. The Central Information Commission had a total of 21,946 appeals and complaints […]
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20 June 2014
Polish FOI Laws, Practices Weak, Evaluation Finds
Poland’s access to information regime is critically evaluated in a report just published in English. “Public institutions too often use a restricted interpretation of the existing regulations,” according to “Waiting for open government.” It was prepared in December of 2013 by the Polish Open Government Coalition as part of an effort to encourage Poland to […]
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20 June 2014
Open Data Would Benefit G20 Economies, New Study Says
Improved utilization of data could achieve more than half of the G20’s 2 percent growth target, according to a new report. The report, Open for Business, was released in Canberra June 19 by Nicholas Gruen, economist and chief executive office of Lateral Economics. The report was commissioned by the Omidyar Network and is also described in […]
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20 June 2014
FOI Notes: Transparency Research, RTI on Wheels, FOI T-Shirt, Request of the Week
RTI on Wheels: A mobile van to spread the word about RTI is traveling for 10 days through Jammu and Kashmir in India, sponsored by NGO Gujarat Pahel, according to Free Press article. Open Data: “Putting Open Data to Work for Communities,” a report by the US National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, a network of local organizations […]
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23 May 2014
FOI Notes: Books, Articles, Conference
Book: La transparencia informativa de las Administraciones públicas (Information transparency of public administrations. The right of the people to know and the duty to disseminate public information actively) by Miguel Angel Climent Blanes has just been published by Thomson-Reuters Aranzadi (ISBN: 978-84-9059-397-4). The author is s Doctor in Law and has served as an officer […]
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2 May 2014
FOI Weak in Most Mexican States, Fundar Reports
A new report on state freedom of information laws in Mexico delves into the quality of the 32 state laws, finding more than half of them deficient. The detailed index by the nongovernmental organization Fundar looks at three main categories: regulatory provisions, institutional design and the process to access public information. Of the 32 states, […]
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25 April 2014
Transparency International Scores EU Transparency
An adequate legal foundation for transparency exists in the European Union, but it is undercut in ways that foster corruption risks, according to a new 248-page report by Transparency International. The EU Integrity System report issued April 24 evaluates 10 EU institutions and bodies regarding transparency, accountability, independence, integrity and other factors. A solid legal foundation, […]
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25 April 2014
Inter-American Rapporteur Addresses FOI in Report
Freedom of information is one of many topics addressed a 619-page report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that includes the 2013 Annual Report of the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression. (Spanish) The report by rapporteur Catalina Botero Marino also addresses national security surveillance and violence against journalists, combining a descriptive […]
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24 April 2014
Carter Center Issues Tool to Assess FOI Implementation
The Carter Center April 23 unveiled a tool for assessing the implementation of access to information laws. The goal is to evaluate the “plumbing” that makes access laws work. The assessment tool uses 65 questions and the results are displayed with red, yellow and green ovals. The tool is not designed to rank countries or […]
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4 April 2014
Book Review: Transparency in International Law
“Transparency in International Law,” edited by Andrea Bianchi and Anne Peters. Published 2013, Cambridge University Press The 20 chapters of this book, edited by two Swiss academics, provide a sweeping survey of transparency at dozens of international organizations, in theory and practice. The editors purposefully did not prescribe a definition of “transparency,” while admitting that […]
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3 April 2014
AIP Produces New Audit of Government Transparency
The Access to Information Progrmme in Bulgaria has released the results of its ninth audit of transparency at national and local institutions. The aim of the audit, which AIP has performed since 2006, is to evaluate how the executive bodies fulfill their obligations for proactive publication of information online under the Access to Public Information […]