What We Need to Understand to Promote Governmental Transperancy

Introduction On his first day in office, President Barack Obama issued a memorandum urging that the ―[g]overnment should be transparent,‖ and that his administration would ―take appropriate action...to disclose information rapidly.‖ 1 This is just one of the many recent efforts to promote governmental transparency. Since around the 1990s, transparency— accessibility and availability of government information to the public—became a watchword for national governments, international institutions, and civil society groups around the world. It has been increasingly viewed as having numerous desirable benefits, such as curbing corruption and promoting good governance, political accountability, and economic development. Recognizing its importance, a number of international institutions, including the United Nations, World Bank, and the Council of Europe, have endorsed activities promoting transparency. Nevertheless, on ground, the struggle for transparency is far from over. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to provide an overview of major issues