How Free is Information? Transparency in State Government

43 Pages Posted: 12 Jul 2024

See all articles by Jennifer Selin

Jennifer Selin

Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law

Jordan Butcher

Arkansas State University

Date Written: May 7, 2024

Abstract

How transparent are state governments in the United States? This Article explores the functioning of important, but often underappreciated, actors in the American constitutional system – state administrative agencies – and examines variation in the existence and implementation of transparency regimes across and within all 50 states.

This Article first highlights differences that exist among state freedom of information (“FOI”) laws, focusing on three components: who can submit requests; the requirements for and exemptions to public release; and the process for appeal of agency decisions not to disclose information. Because FOI laws require the public to request access to information and permit state agencies to refuse release of records, these laws constitute “passive” transparency and have little effect without a strong administrative apparatus to facilitate implementation. Simply, FOI laws rely on administrators to interpret statutory language in ways that provide access to government information.

Because passive transparency regimes like state FOI laws require high-quality administration in order to be effective, this Article presents a novel exploratory field experiment of administrative performance across all 50 states. Specifically, this Article evaluates state implementation of FOI laws using an original empirical study of 248 state agencies’ fulfillment of the same FOI request. This study illustrates that agency-level factors such as administrative function, policy mission, and leadership influence information disclosure.

As a whole, this Article suggests the stringency of transparency law in the states only partially explains government provision of information to the public. Instead, how administrators react to internal and external pressures as they utilize their discretion to fill FOI requests constitutes a key aspect of open government.

Keywords: Transparency, Freedom of Information, state government

Suggested Citation

Selin, Jennifer and Butcher, Jordan, How Free is Information? Transparency in State Government (May 7, 2024). 26 N.Y.U. J. Legis. & Pub. Pol'y (forthcoming), Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Paper No. 4890235, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4890235 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4890235

Jennifer Selin (Contact Author)

Arizona State University (ASU) - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law ( email )

Box 877906
Tempe, AZ 85287-7906
United States

Jordan Butcher

Arkansas State University ( email )

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