How Cabinet Size and Legislative Control Shape the Strength of Transparency Laws
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6265095 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gregory Michener (0000-0002-6648-8649, Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration, Fundação Getúlio Vargas (EBAPE/FGV), corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 77-94 |
| Publication date | 2015-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Governance (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0952-1895 • E-ISSN: 1468-0491 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/gove.12075 |
| OpenAlex | W1512935765 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 33 |
| References cited | 50 |
Prevailing thinking surrounding the politics of secrecy and transparency is biased by assumptions regarding single‐party and small coalition governments. Here, the “politics of secrecy” dominates: Leaders delay or resist strong transparency and freedom of information (FOI) policies when they control parliament, and yield to strong laws because of imposition, symbolic ambition, or concessions when they do not. In effect, leaders weigh the benefits of secrecy against gains in monitorial capacity. Their support for strong transparency policies grows as the number of parties in their cabinet rises. So while the costs of surrendering secrecy trump the benefits of strong transparency reforms in single‐party governments, in broad multiparty coalitions leaders trade secrecy for tools to monitor coalition “allies.” Drawing on vivid international examples, patterns ofFOIreform inLatinAmerica, and an in‐depth study ofFOIinBrazil, this article generates new theoretical insights into transparency and the “politics of monitoring
Cabinet (room · Economics · Freedom of information · Law and economics · Legislature · Parliament · Political science · Politics · Secrecy · Transparency (behavior · Corruption and Economic Development · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Engineering · Law · Local Government Finance and Decentralization
Assessing Freedom of Information in Latin America a Decade Later
To know is to act? Revisiting the impact of government transparency on corruption
Tying the successor’s hands or following the neighbor? Diffusion of access to information in Brazilian municipalities
Atar as mãos do sucessor ou seguir o vizinho? Difusão do acesso à informação nos municípios brasileiros
Dinâmica Política da Formulação da Política de Acesso à Informação no Brasil
Political dynamics in policymaking of freedom of information in Brazil
Why Have Policies Often Remained Symbolic? Understanding the Reasons for Decoupling between Policy and Practice
Populism and the Strength of Freedom of Information Laws
Ideology beyond partisanship
Local compliance with national transparency legislation
Are governments complying with transparency? Findings from 15 years of evaluation
Policy Evaluation via Composite Indexes
More than a decade in the making
The Information-Gathering Matrix
Cross-Country Heterogeneity in Government Transparency and Citizens’ Political Efficacy
Translating policy transparency into policy understanding and policy support
Comparing Resistance to Open Data Performance Measurement
Transparency in the use of assets confiscated from mafia organizations
When does open government shut? Predicting government responses to citizen information requests
From de jure to de facto transparency
Years of Transparency Research
Disruptive, Dynamic and Democratic? Ten Years of FOI in the UK
What do lawmakers understand by ‘public transparency’? A longitudinal study of Brazil’s legislative production
The political origins of transparency reform
Transnational Activist Networks and Rising Powers
Do Resource-Wealthy Rulers Adopt Transparency-Promoting Laws
Determinants of the cabinet size in presidential systems
Cheap talk or incredible commitment? (Mis)calculating transparency and anti‐corruption
Sunlight or Window Dressing? Local Government Compliance with South Africa's Promotion of Access to Information Act
Domestic isomorphic pressures in the design of FOI oversight institutions in Latin America
Partisan Context and Procedural Values
Cleaning up Politics
A Great Leap Forward for Democracy and the Rule of Law? Brazil's Mensalão Trial
The theory of political coalitions.
Parties and Party Systems
Making and Breaking Governments
Blacked Out
Politician’s Dilemma
The magical number 4 in short-term memory
What happens when transparency meets blame-avoidance?
CHAPTER ONE. International Influence on Economic Policy
Essays in Economic Sociology
Agendas, alternatives, and public policies
Democracy in Plural Societies
Democratization and Research Methods
The Life and Death of Democracy
The Right to Know
Patterns of democracy
Assessing the performance of freedom of information
Fairness Perceptions and Organizational Misbehavior
The Political Origins of Transparency
Ideology or What? Legislative Behavior in Multiparty Presidential Settings
Incumbents and Challengers on a Level Playing Field
Electoral Rules, Constituency Pressures, and Pork Barrel
Delegation Dilemmas
The Perils of Presidentialism
FOI Laws Around the World
International Organizations and Government Transparency
Representation or abdication? How citizens use institutions to help delegation succeed
Ministers as double agents? The delegation process between cabinet and ministers
Competition by Denunciation
The Role of Parliamentary Committees in Coalition Governments
Political and Institutional Checks on Corruption
The Presidential Calculus
Shadowing Ministers
Keeping Tabs on Partners
Policing the Bargain
Congressional Oversight Overlooked
Decision Making in Political Systems
Identifying transparency
Political Opportunity Structures and Political Protest
The Electoral Cycle and Institutional Sources of Divided Presidential Government
Gabinetes presidenciais, ciclos eleitorais e disciplina legislativa no Brasil
Corruption and democracy in Brazil
Ending Up in Pizza
Friends in High Places
Assessing Freedom of Information in Latin America a Decade Later
Structure and Policy in Japan and the United States
Presidentialism in Latin America
| Unique citing works | 33 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2015 - 2025 (11) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 32 |