Towards More Open Democracies: The Expansion of Freedom of Information Laws

2003/12/18 by Bruce E. Cain, Patrick J Egan, Sergio Fabbrini · 22 citations
Social Sciences · #Judicial and Constitutional Studies #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Ombudsman and Human Rights #Freedom of information #Government (linguistics) #Accountability #Political science #Freedom of the press #Democracy #Law #European union #Business #Politics #International trade

paper · doi:10.1093/0199264996.003.0006

openalex publication_date 2003/12/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11

Abstract

Abstract This chapter tracks the expansion of Freedom of Information (FoI) laws in advanced democracies, and examine the patterns of usage by citizens and the press in a few selected cases. In 1970s, only four nations had FoI laws, now they exist in 16 advanced industrial democracies and the European Union. These information laws are heavily utilized in some nations, giving citizens and groups new access to information on government policies. When combined with an aggressive, independent, and investigative press tradition, FoI laws can be used effectively to increase government accountability.

Citations

• Changing Models of Party Organization and Party Democracy
• Active citizens and the therapeutic state: the role of democratic participation in local government reform
• A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures
• What Can Democratic Participation Mean Today?
• Deepening Democracy: Innovations in Empowered Participatory Governance
• Cognitive Mobilization and Partisan Dealignment in Advanced Industrial Democracies

Cited by

• Freedom of Information Act (United States) [wikipedia]