Government Accountability & Transparency

A well-functioning democracy requires strong safeguards against official corruption, which erodes public services as well as public faith in the democratic system. Corruption can also give unfair advantages to incumbent politicians and create pathways for malign interference by foreign powers.

Government accountability and transparency ensure that malfeasance is exposed—and that failed or harmful policies are swiftly corrected.

Freedom House research, including Freedom in the World, has documented the global decline in government accountability, transparency, and rule of law, as authoritarian leaders ignore the most basic elements of due process, misuse the justice system to persecute their critics, and perpetuate impunity for corruption and abuses of power. Freedom House supports local efforts to strengthen the rule of law, including to end torture, hold human rights abusers to account, and promote judicial reforms.

“Transparency” is government’s obligation to share information with citizens that is needed to make informed decisions and hold officials accountable for the conduct of the people’s business. Transparency exists on government websites largely at the munificence of officials.  The burden of negotiating complex and costly Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) petitions rests squarely on the shoulders of citizens and journalists.  Despite “sunshine” laws and much pro-transparency rhetoric, information requests by journalists and citizens are routinely ignored, given the bureaucratic “slow roll” and discouraged by inflated price tags for staff time and copying. FOIAs and official goodwill are insufficient in securing citizens and journalists information they need and have a right to review. Therefore, this act affirms that the government of the state of {insert state} has a duty to affirmatively disclose certain information, in a timely manner, and to shift the burden from citizens and journalists to the state, to share all information necessary, so that citizens may hold their elected officials accountable.