Open AccessInherent Frictions and Deliberate Frustrations: Examining the Legal Variables of State FOI Law Administration
Author(s) -
A. Jay Wagner
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the journal of civic information
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2641-970X
DOI - 10.32473/joci.v3i2.127815
Subject(s) - legislature , law , state (computer science) , administration (probate law) , transparency (behavior) , political science , mathematics , algorithm
FOI laws are of a category of laws acutely predisposed to internal resistance and erosion. The study seeks to better understand these limitations by examining legal elements of the laws through an exploratory field study, or audit, of nine state FOI laws. Among the study’s findings are two uniquely strong predictors of better FOI results: The existence of an independent FOI advocacy organization in the state and a legislature subject to the law. The findings suggest cultivating a culture of transparency may be as or more important than any of the generally considered legal variables, such as deadlines or penalties.