Regulations on Access to Government Information and Impacts on Open Government: The Case of Turkey

Abstract

The fundamental elements of open government, i.e. openness, participation, and collaboration, can be secured through well-structured regulations governing access to information. Therefore, existing access to information regulations, which are based upon the pre-open government era, should be structured or updated under the mandates of open government. The present study assumes the perspective of the relevant literature to consider the effectiveness of regulations governing access to information in public’s access to information, their relationships with the government, and the effects of open government on regulations governing access to information. With its starting point in the literature, the study assesses the scope of the existing Law on the Right to Information in Turkey, as a country preparing for an open government in line with specific criteria, and defines the effects of this Law on the preparations for an open government, as well as its current/potential shortcomings. Using document analysis as its research methodology, this study reveals that the Law on the Right to Information in Turkey does not sufficiently cover the requirements of open government. The research conclusions are presented along with recommendations for the updated structuring of the Law on the Right to Information.