icegov2012 proceedings

Framework for Useful Transparency Websites for Citizens
ABSTRACT
In this paper, I describe the need to elaborate a theoretical
framework that could help governments to improve their
transparency and access to information websites beyond standard
transparency obligations. If developed properly, these websites
could offer information that is actually useful for ordinary
citizens. In addition, I review literature of e-transparency web site
evaluations in Mexico, as well as some examples of initiatives that
have aimed to provide the ordinary citizen with useful
information. Finally, this paper proposes a research agenda that
could help to develop this framework. This is a work in progress.
Josune Arcelus
Categories and Subject Descriptors
J.1.4 [Computer Applications]: Administrative Data Processing -
Government
General Terms
Management, Human Factors
Keywords
Transparency Websites, Access to Information, e-Transparency,
e-Government, Open Government
1. INTRODUCTION
During the last decade, the topic of transparency has taken a great
deal of importance in Mexico. In 2000 Vicente Fox, the
presidential candidate of National Action Party (PAN), defeated
the long lasting ruling party, the Institutionalized Revolutionary
Party (PRI) under the political banner that government
transparency will empower citizens to demand a more democratic
government. Twelve years after this promise, one of the few
tangible achievements of the new democratic government has
been the growing importance of transparency and access to public
information. In 2002, the Federal Transparency and Access to
Public Information Law (Ley Federal de Transparencia y Acceso
a la Información Pública -- LFTAIP) was approved by Congress.
In addition, a special institute (Instituto Federal para Acceso a la
Informacion-- IFAI) was created to supervise compliance of this
law. Gradually, each state and the Federal District (Mexico City)
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published their own laws to guide their obligations at the local
level.
The LFTAIP describes in its 7 th article the mandatory information
that must be published electronically, and states in its 9 th article
[1] that information must be available via electronic media.
Over the last ten years state and local governments and their
agencies have created their own transparency websites to comply
with their respective laws.
Different academic and civil society organizations like CIDE
(Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica) and Article XIX
have been evaluating federal and state governments to assess their
websites as well as their overall transparency initiatives. These
evaluations are widely publicized in the media. Therefore,
governments are trying continually to improve in order to obtain
better evaluations.
Based on the assumption that better informed citizens make better
citizens, this law and transparency websites would contribute to a
more democratic society. Transparency websites would open
mechanisms to supervise the government, and harness a new
desired relationship between citizens and governments. However,
there is the perception that the information requested through
websites is not being used directly by citizens, but by media,
political opposition, and other enemies of the groups in power.
This assumption is hard to evaluate with government produced
data because the petition online system (Sistema de Solicitud de
Información -- SISI) allows for anonymity. Therefore, making it
hard to elaborate a precise analysis of who is requesting
information. However, there is evidence that suggests that citizens
are not making transparency and access to information part of
their lives. According to a survey conducted by Parametría in
2011 [2], only 19% of the persons interviewed were able to
identify the IFAI, 14% knew how to make a petition to the
government, and about 60% thought that information about
government expenses and public servants salaries is “obscure” or
difficult to reach.
Interestingly, the transparency websites users and the petition
system (SISI) users do not consider that transparency and access
to information has been achieved after they interacted with them.
In a survey/focus group published in the Mexican Journal
Derecho Comparado de la Información [3], it is pointed out that
while the test subjects find that the websites comply with what is
required by law to be published, the website does not promote
transparency in itself or the right to know. All interviewed
subjects had access to the federal transparency web site, or used
the SISI.