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Response, awareness and requester identity in FOI law: Evidence from a field experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Cicatiello, Lorenzo
  • De Simone, Elina
  • Mascio, Fabrizio Di
  • Gaeta, Giuseppe Lucio
  • Natalini, Alessandro
  • Worthy, Ben

Abstract

Freedom of Information (FOI) is considered a crown jewel of reforms fostering public administration transparency and accountability. However, FOI's symbolic power alone cannot overcome the organizational barriers and obstacles to its effective implementation. This paper presents the results of a field experiment performed in Italy, a late FOI adopter, where an FOI request was sent to the 307 municipalities with more than 30k inhabitants. The experimental design exploits marginal wording variation in the requests to test whether municipalities discriminate between ordinary citizens and high-profile requesters. The experimental evidence suggests that most Italian municipalities reply to FOI requests. The results show two opposite types of discretionary bias: Northern municipalities tend to favor high-profile requesters, whereas Southern municipalities tend to respond to them with a higher degree of attrition. The study investigates the determinants of this difference.

Suggested Citation

  • Cicatiello, Lorenzo & De Simone, Elina & Mascio, Fabrizio Di & Gaeta, Giuseppe Lucio & Natalini, Alessandro & Worthy, Ben, 2024. "Response, awareness and requester identity in FOI law: Evidence from a field experiment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 12-30.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:220:y:2024:i:c:p:12-30
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2024.02.010
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