Assessing Government Transparency: An Interpretive Framework

How can we evaluate government transparency arrangements? While the complexity and contextuality of the values at stake defy straightforward measurement, this article provides an interpretative framework to guide and structure assessments of government transparency. In this framework, we discern criteria clusters for political transparencydemocracy, the constitutional state, and social learning capacityand for administrative transparencyeconomy/efficiency, integrity, and resilience. The framework provides a structured helicopter view of the dimensions that are relevant for a contextual assessment of transparency. An illustrative case discussion of the introduction of Freedom of Information (FOI) in the United Kingdom demonstrates its utility.