Evaluating transparency policies: A focus on FOI laws

Vincent Mabillard, Giovanni Esposito and Martial Pasquier

No 25-006, Working Papers CEB from ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles

Abstract: The popularity of freedom of information (FOI) laws results from certain evolutions, including the democratisation of some states in the 1990s, the recognition of access to information as a fundamental right, and the pressure of civil society. However, a gap between this development and actual implementation of legislation has often been observed. This paper addresses this issue by proposing a comprehensive approach to evaluating the various dimensions of FOI. It starts with the identification of FOI laws’ features and the available tools to evaluate them. Then, it shows how FOI effectiveness can be monitored and evaluated. Finally, we propose approaches and tools to evaluate the expected benefits of transparency, including citizen trust. Through this conceptual effort, we aim to equip researchers with adequate tools in studies on the evaluation of government transparency, and provide practitioners with a relevant framework when they want to assess the strength of FOI laws.

Keywords: Transparency laws; Access to information; Freedom of information; Evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-09-19
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