Assessing Government Transparency: An Interpretive Framework

TLDR

The article notes that the complexity and contextuality of values involved in government transparency make measurement difficult, yet it offers an interpretative framework to guide assessments. The study aims to evaluate government transparency arrangements by developing an interpretative framework. The framework identifies criteria clusters for political transparency—democracy, constitutional state, social learning—and for administrative transparency—economy/efficiency, integrity, resilience. The framework delivers a structured helicopter view of relevant dimensions and, as illustrated by the UK FOI case, demonstrates its practical utility.

Abstract

How can we evaluate government transparency arrangements? While the complexity and contextuality of the values at stake defy straightforward measurement, this article provides an interpretative framework to guide and structure assessments of government transparency. In this framework, we discern criteria clusters for political transparency—democracy, the constitutional state, and social learning capacity—and for administrative transparency—economy/efficiency, integrity, and resilience. The framework provides a structured “helicopter view” of the dimensions that are relevant for a contextual assessment of transparency. An illustrative case discussion of the introduction of Freedom of Information (FOI) in the United Kingdom demonstrates its utility.