Transparency in the open government era / edited by Irène Bouhadana, William Gilles, Russel Weaver

Date :

Editeur / Publisher : Paris , DL 2015

Type : Livre / Book

Langue / Language : anglais / English

ISBN : 979-10-90809-05-5

EAN : 9791090809055

Transparence politique -- 1990-2020

Divulgation d'informations -- 1990-2020

Information des administrés -- 1990-2020

Classification Dewey : 323.445

Bouhadana, Irène (1969-.... ; juriste) (Editeur scientifique / editor)

Gilles, William (1978-.... ; juriste) (Editeur scientifique / editor)

Weaver, Russell L. (1952-....) (Editeur scientifique / editor)

Résumé / Abstract : In a digital era, in which government can collect and store large amounts of information, issues related to governmental openness and transparency have become increasingly important. While most societies have enacted freedom of information statutes, those statutes differ regarding the information that they make available, and the information that they protect from disclosure. Thus, although citizens can gain access to some types of governmental information, much information remains shielded from disclosure. Transparency issues have also arisen regarding governmental surveillance programs. Following the disclosures of Edward Snowden, it has become clear that many governments collect and retain large amounts of digital information, including e-mails, web postings, text messages and cell phone calls. The collection of essays in this book explore these important transparency issues and raise fundamental questions regarding governmental accountability. In democratic societies, in which the power to govern flows from the consent of the governed, individual voters must understand how government is functioning in order to cast informed votes. Citizens also have an interest in knowing the extent to which government is surveilling them. Of course, if governmental anti-terrorism efforts are to be effective, governments cannot reveal everything. The papers in this book explore these issues and seek to find a proper balance between governmental effectiveness and transparency.