Freedom of information and the volume of requested data : An experimental study

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14230%2F25%3A00144306" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14230/25:00144306 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740624X25000243" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740624X25000243</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2025.102030" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.giq.2025.102030</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Freedom of information and the volume of requested data : An experimental study

Original language description

This study explores local government responses to information requests by focusing on the volume of requested data and a reference to the freedom of information (FOI) legislation. The study relies on a field experiment with a 2 x 2 between-subject design conducted on municipalities in Slovakia. The information requests varied in the volume of the requested data (low vs. high) as well as in the inclusion of a reference to the country's FOI legislation (no reference vs. explicit reference). The study reveals that asking for more information noticeably reduces the responsiveness of municipalities. However, this effect is moderated by the inclusion of a reference to a FOI law. For requests seeking a small volume of data, an explicit reference to a FOI law only slightly supports the response rate. Conversely, in the case of high-demand requests, incorporating a FOI law reference substantially improves the responsiveness of municipalities. This research contributes to the literature on transparency as it demonstrates that referring to FOI legislation is an effective tool to overcome the reluctance of local governments to respond to more demanding information requests.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

50601 - Political science

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA22-23843S" target="_blank" >GA22-23843S: Amalgamation of municipalities and local democracy</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Government Information Quarterly

ISSN

0740-624X

e-ISSN

1872-9517

Volume of the periodical

42

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

8

Pages from-to

1-8

UT code for WoS article

001474882300001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105002674057