Screen level bureaucracy : databases as public records
By: LANDSBERGEN, David
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ArticlePublisher: Orlando : Elsevier, 2004Government Information Quarterly 21, 1, p. 24-50Abstract: Providing better service by automating "business processes" is an exciting prospect for improving the government. Yet, there has not been the same level of effort at making it easier for the public to obtain information about what its government is doing. This article focuses on the constraints and opportunities in making database information available to the public. The database technology is chosen because it is a central repository of public information. New federal law requires the use of information technology (IT) to make access to public information easier. But the new law has also subtly shifted the burden of proof to the citizen in showing why certain information should be made available. If a "statutory fix" to this problem is not available in the short run, we urge agencies to provide increased access to database information because of the continual development of technology and its effect on citizen expectations
Providing better service by automating "business processes" is an exciting prospect for improving the government. Yet, there has not been the same level of effort at making it easier for the public to obtain information about what its government is doing. This article focuses on the constraints and opportunities in making database information available to the public. The database technology is chosen because it is a central repository of public information. New federal law requires the use of information technology (IT) to make access to public information easier. But the new law has also subtly shifted the burden of proof to the citizen in showing why certain information should be made available. If a "statutory fix" to this problem is not available in the short run, we urge agencies to provide increased access to database information because of the continual development of technology and its effect on citizen expectations
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