Abstract
We analyze government document custodians' attitudes and behaviors in order to assess the prospects of a new access to information law establishing a citizen's right-to-know in Mexico. The Mexican law is considered one of the best in the hemisphere in terms of broad access and workable enforcement provisions. However, no extra resources were allotted to government agencies for compliance with the law; the country's traditional bureaucratic incentive structures support closure rather than access; and bureaucrats' views on the uses of government information prior to democratization suggest an instrumental approach guided organizational incentives rather than generalized support for either secrecy or access as a principle. We argue that missing or unclear political will at the top is the strongest challenge to Mexico's emerging right to know.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 121-137 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Critical Studies in Media Communication |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2005 |
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Keywords
- Accountability
- Democratization
- Freedom of Information
- Institutional Analysis
- Latin America
- Mexico
- Secrecy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
Cite this
Bureaucratic compliance with Mexico's new access to information law. / Gill, Juliet; Hughes, Sallie.
In: Critical Studies in Media Communication, Vol. 22, No. 2, 06.2005, p. 121-137.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Bureaucratic compliance with Mexico's new access to information law
AU - Gill, Juliet
AU - Hughes, Sallie
PY - 2005/6
Y1 - 2005/6
N2 - We analyze government document custodians' attitudes and behaviors in order to assess the prospects of a new access to information law establishing a citizen's right-to-know in Mexico. The Mexican law is considered one of the best in the hemisphere in terms of broad access and workable enforcement provisions. However, no extra resources were allotted to government agencies for compliance with the law; the country's traditional bureaucratic incentive structures support closure rather than access; and bureaucrats' views on the uses of government information prior to democratization suggest an instrumental approach guided organizational incentives rather than generalized support for either secrecy or access as a principle. We argue that missing or unclear political will at the top is the strongest challenge to Mexico's emerging right to know.
AB - We analyze government document custodians' attitudes and behaviors in order to assess the prospects of a new access to information law establishing a citizen's right-to-know in Mexico. The Mexican law is considered one of the best in the hemisphere in terms of broad access and workable enforcement provisions. However, no extra resources were allotted to government agencies for compliance with the law; the country's traditional bureaucratic incentive structures support closure rather than access; and bureaucrats' views on the uses of government information prior to democratization suggest an instrumental approach guided organizational incentives rather than generalized support for either secrecy or access as a principle. We argue that missing or unclear political will at the top is the strongest challenge to Mexico's emerging right to know.
KW - Accountability
KW - Democratization
KW - Freedom of Information
KW - Institutional Analysis
KW - Latin America
KW - Mexico
KW - Secrecy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33745007398&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33745007398&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/07393180500072038
DO - 10.1080/07393180500072038
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33745007398
VL - 22
SP - 121
EP - 137
JO - Critical Studies in Media Communication
JF - Critical Studies in Media Communication
SN - 1529-5036
IS - 2
ER -