Your right to know : lessons from the implementation of access to information policies in the developing world

Abstract

Access to information from public bodies is vital to ensure transparency and accountability from governing institutions. It should be an overarching imperative in the developing world where state-citizen bonds are often frazzled by rampant corruption and erratic public services. In recent years, policy-makers have pursued this objective through a variety of open governance mechanisms, notably, Access To Information (ATI) legislations and policies. This policy brief presents the lessons from the comparative scrutiny of the ATI policy regimes of Ghana, India and South Africa – three pivotal democracies in the Global South – for signal lessons for ATI policy practitioners worldwide. Central observations include nagging concerns about policy adaptability and leadership, non-tech savvy bureaucracies, legislative design, arbitrary disenfranchisement of information seekers, and logistical logjams. Policy stakeholders are challenged to direct efforts at spreading good policy adaptation norms, fostering technological adoption, promoting legislative dexterity, curbing wanton disenfranchisements, and facilitating access to relevant logistics.