The Experts below are selected from a list of 106155 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Andrew Flinn - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Freedom of Information and records management in local government help or hindrance
Information polity, 2011Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Alice Stevenson, Andrew FlinnAbstract:Research into the impact of the UK Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 on records management services in public authorities, especially in local government was carried out by the Department of Information Studies at UCL in 2008- 2009, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project considered the inter-relationship between records management and Freedom of Information, and examined the co-operation and partnerships needed in order to maximise the benefits of Freedom of Information. The first phase of the research was an extensive literature review, focusing on Freedom of Information and records management in the UK. This was followed by qualitative research using semi-structured interviews to gather rich data from council officials responsible for the provision of records management, Information governance and Freedom of Information functions, complemented by interviews with requestors, to provide an outsider's perspective. The article reports on the position of records management in local government prior to 2000s drawing on the literature, outlines the research findings on FOI and records management policy and practice in local government, and concludes by considering the perspective of requestors and users of the FOIA as engaged citizens.
-
Information governance records management and Freedom of Information a study of local government authorities in england
Government Information Quarterly, 2010Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Alice Stevenson, Andrew FlinnAbstract:In many democratic states political rhetoric gives weight to increasing public participation in and understanding of the political process; (re)-establishing public trust in government decision making; increasing transparency, openness, and accountability of public authorities; and, ultimately, improving government decision-making on behalf of citizens. Access to the public record and Freedom of Information (FOI) are mechanisms which help to facilitate the accountability of public authorities. Many jurisdictions have introduced legislation related to these mechanisms, and the UK government is no exception with its enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 2000. University College London (UCL) ran a research project over 12 months in 2008–2009, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. The research project examined what the impact of the UK FOIA had been on records management services in public authorities, especially local government. This article reports on some of the findings of the study. It considers how FOI compliance and records management functions are organized in local government and the role of Information governance which is emerging as an umbrella for such functions. It draws some conclusions about the contributions that records management services make to the ability of local authorities to comply with the FOIA and identifies some ways in which user experience may be affected by the management of records.
-
the impact of Freedom of Information on records management and record use in local government a literature review
Journal of The Society of Archivists, 2009Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Alice Stevenson, Andrew FlinnAbstract:In 2008–2009, a research project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, was run by the Department of Information Studies at University College London (UCL). It examined the impact of the UK Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 on records management services in public authorities, especially in local government. The project considered the inter-relationship between records management and Freedom of Information, and examined the cooperation and partnerships needed in order to maximise the benefits of Freedom of Information. A part of the first phase of the research was an extensive literature review: this article introduces the literature on Freedom of Information and records management, focusing on the UK. It suggests that while there were significant preparations by some public authorities for the full implementation of the Act in 2005, perhaps the necessary culture change and strategic leadership did not follow. There are, as yet, few studies of the user experience of Freedom of informati...
Elizabeth Shepherd - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Freedom of Information right to access Information open data who is at the table
The Round Table, 2015Co-Authors: Elizabeth ShepherdAbstract:Many national governments have adopted the idea of the ‘right to access Information’ (RTI) or ‘Freedom of Information’ (FOI) as an essential element of the rights of citizens to Freedom of opinion and expression, human rights, trust in public discourse and transparent, accountable and open government. Over 100 countries worldwide have introduced access to Information legislation: 50+ in Europe; a dozen in Africa; 20 in the Americas and Caribbean; more than 15 in Asia and the Pacific; and two in the Middle East (Banisar, 2014). This article will provide an overview of access to Information legislation and focus on the UK Freedom of Information Act 2000 as a case example. It will discuss the impact of the UK FOI Act on public authorities, with particular attention to records management implications, drawing on research undertaken by University College London. In the final section, it will reflect on relationships between access to Information and open government data. If governments are moving to more openn...
-
Freedom of Information and records management in local government help or hindrance
Information polity, 2011Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Alice Stevenson, Andrew FlinnAbstract:Research into the impact of the UK Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 on records management services in public authorities, especially in local government was carried out by the Department of Information Studies at UCL in 2008- 2009, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project considered the inter-relationship between records management and Freedom of Information, and examined the co-operation and partnerships needed in order to maximise the benefits of Freedom of Information. The first phase of the research was an extensive literature review, focusing on Freedom of Information and records management in the UK. This was followed by qualitative research using semi-structured interviews to gather rich data from council officials responsible for the provision of records management, Information governance and Freedom of Information functions, complemented by interviews with requestors, to provide an outsider's perspective. The article reports on the position of records management in local government prior to 2000s drawing on the literature, outlines the research findings on FOI and records management policy and practice in local government, and concludes by considering the perspective of requestors and users of the FOIA as engaged citizens.
-
Information governance records management and Freedom of Information a study of local government authorities in england
Government Information Quarterly, 2010Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Alice Stevenson, Andrew FlinnAbstract:In many democratic states political rhetoric gives weight to increasing public participation in and understanding of the political process; (re)-establishing public trust in government decision making; increasing transparency, openness, and accountability of public authorities; and, ultimately, improving government decision-making on behalf of citizens. Access to the public record and Freedom of Information (FOI) are mechanisms which help to facilitate the accountability of public authorities. Many jurisdictions have introduced legislation related to these mechanisms, and the UK government is no exception with its enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 2000. University College London (UCL) ran a research project over 12 months in 2008–2009, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. The research project examined what the impact of the UK FOIA had been on records management services in public authorities, especially local government. This article reports on some of the findings of the study. It considers how FOI compliance and records management functions are organized in local government and the role of Information governance which is emerging as an umbrella for such functions. It draws some conclusions about the contributions that records management services make to the ability of local authorities to comply with the FOIA and identifies some ways in which user experience may be affected by the management of records.
-
the impact of Freedom of Information on records management and record use in local government a literature review
Journal of The Society of Archivists, 2009Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Alice Stevenson, Andrew FlinnAbstract:In 2008–2009, a research project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, was run by the Department of Information Studies at University College London (UCL). It examined the impact of the UK Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 on records management services in public authorities, especially in local government. The project considered the inter-relationship between records management and Freedom of Information, and examined the cooperation and partnerships needed in order to maximise the benefits of Freedom of Information. A part of the first phase of the research was an extensive literature review: this article introduces the literature on Freedom of Information and records management, focusing on the UK. It suggests that while there were significant preparations by some public authorities for the full implementation of the Act in 2005, perhaps the necessary culture change and strategic leadership did not follow. There are, as yet, few studies of the user experience of Freedom of informati...
-
how has the implementation of the uk Freedom of Information act 2000 affected archives and records management services
Records Management Journal, 2007Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Elizabeth EnnionAbstract:Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider what the impact of the first six months of the Freedom of Information Act has been on archives and records management services in UK public services. The UK Freedom of Information Act was passed in 2000 and came into full operation on 1 January 2005. It gives people, regardless of nationality, a right to be told whether public bodies hold Information and to be provided with that Information. Similar legislation exists in over 50 countries including the USA, Canada, Australia and Ireland.Design/methodology/approach – The project undertook interviews with four case study organisations: University College London, the Metropolitan Police, Peterborough City Council and Soham Village College. Using the Department for Constitutional Affairs Model Action Plan, the researchers examined leadership and policy, training and awareness, Information and records management, customers and stakeholders and systems and procedures.Findings – The research showed that the four...
Ben Worthy - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
transparency at the parish pump a field experiment to measure the effectiveness of Freedom of Information requests in england
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 2016Co-Authors: Ben Worthy, Peter John, Matia VannoniAbstract:How effective are systems of transparency, such as Freedom of Information (FOI) requests? The ambitious aims of FOI hinge on the extent to which requests produce the desired Information for the citizen or group. The question is whether such legally mandated requests work better than the more informal mechanisms that frequently precede them. Despite the high hopes of advocates, organisational routines and political values may limit legal access and public bodies may seek to minimally comply rather than behave in concordance with the spirit of the law. This paper reports a field experiment that compared FOI requests and informal asks to measure which is more effective in accessing Information from English parish councils. The basic premise of statutory access is borne out. FOI requests are more effective than simple asks, though the size or pre-existing level of openness appears to make little difference to responsiveness. FOI requests are more effective at higher levels of compliance than at the minimal legal levels in comparative terms, indicating high levels of concordance once within the system. The findings bear out the stronger impact of formal requests when compared to less formal contacts.
-
the impact of the Freedom of Information act on central government in the uk does foi work
Information polity, 2011Co-Authors: Robert Hazell, Ben Worthy, Mark Glover, Palgrave MacmillanAbstract:PART I: Freedom of Information IN THEORY Introduction What are the Objectives of FOI? Whitehall and Freedom of Information Assessing the Impact of FOI in Britain PART II: Freedom of Information IN PRACTICE How FOI Works Has FOI Led to more Transparent Government? The Culture of Secrecy Has FOI Increased Government Accountability? Civil Service Neutrality Ministerial Accountability Effective Government and the Quality of Decision-making The Cabinet System of Government Has FOI Increased Public Understanding of Government Decision-making? Has FOI Led to Increased Trust in Government? Has FOI Led to Increased Participation in the Political Process? Has FOI Met its Objectives? Conclusion Appendices Appendix 1: How Does the UK FOI Perform against Legislation in Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand? Appendix 2: The Requester Appendix 3: Ladder of Openness and Participation Appendix 4: Methods Bibliography
-
more open but not more trusted the effect of the Freedom of Information act 2000 on the united kingdom central government
Governance, 2010Co-Authors: Ben WorthyAbstract:This article examines the impact of Britain's Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 on British central government. The article identifies six objectives for FOI in the United Kingdom and then examines to what extent FOI has met them, briefly comparing the United Kingdom with similar legislation in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. It concludes that FOI has achieved the core objectives of increasing transparency and accountability, though the latter only in particular circumstances, but not the four secondary objectives: improved decision-making by government, improved public understanding, increased participation, and trust in government. This is not because the Act has “failed” but because the objectives were overly ambitious and FOI is shaped by the political environment in which it is placed.
-
the impact of the Freedom of Information act on central government in the uk
Palgrave Macmillan (2010), 2010Co-Authors: Robert Hazell, Ben Worthy, Mark GloverAbstract:Based on interviews with officials, requesters and journalists, as well as a survey of FOI requesters and a study of stories in the national media, this book offers a unique insight into how the Freedom of Information Act 2000 really works.
Guido Noto La Diega - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
against the dehumanisation of decision making algorithmic decisions at the crossroads of intellectual property data protection and Freedom of Information
Social Science Research Network, 2018Co-Authors: Guido Noto La DiegaAbstract:Nowadays algorithms can decide if one can get a loan, is allowed to cross a border, or must go to prison. Artificial intelligence techniques (natural language processing and machine learning in the first place) enable private and public decision-makers to analyse big data in order to build profiles, which are used to make decisions in an automated way. This work presents ten arguments against algorithmic decision-making. These revolve around the concepts of ubiquitous discretionary interpretation, holistic intuition, algorithmic bias, the three black boxes, psychology of conformity, power of sanctions, civilising force of hypocrisy, pluralism, empathy, and technocracy. The lack of transparency of the algorithmic decision-making process does not stem merely from the characteristics of the relevant techniques used, which can make it impossible to access the rationale of the decision. It depends also on the abuse of and overlap between intellectual property rights (the “legal black box”). In the US, nearly half a million patented inventions concern algorithms; more than 67% of the algorithm-related patents were issued over the last ten years and the trend is increasing. To counter the increased monopolisation of algorithms by means of intellectual property rights (with trade secrets leading the way), this paper presents three legal routes that enable citizens to ‘open’ the algorithms. First, copyright and patent exceptions, as well as trade secrets are discussed. Second, the GDPR is critically assessed. In principle, data controllers are not allowed to use algorithms to take decisions that have legal effects on the data subject’s life or similarly significantly affect them. However, when they are allowed to do so, the data subject still has the right to obtain human intervention, to express their point of view, as well as to contest the decision. Additionally, the data controller shall provide meaningful Information about the logic involved in the algorithmic decision. Third, this paper critically analyses the first known case of a court using the access right under the Freedom of Information regime to grant an injunction to release the source code of the computer program that implements an algorithm. Only an integrated approach – which takes into account intellectual property, data protection, and Freedom of Information – may provide the citizen affected by an algorithmic decision of an effective remedy as required by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and the European Convention on Human Rights.
-
against the dehumanisation of decision making algorithmic decisions at the crossroads of intellectual property data protection and Freedom of Information
Journal of Intellectual Property Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Law, 2018Co-Authors: Guido Noto La DiegaAbstract:JIPITEC 9 (2018) 1 - This work presents ten arguments against algorithmic decision-making. These re-volve around the concepts of ubiquitous discretionary interpretation, holistic intu-ition, algorithmic bias, the three black boxes, psychology of conformity, power of sanctions, civilising force of hypocrisy, pluralism, empathy, and technocracy. Nowadays algorithms can decide if one can get a loan, is allowed to cross a bor-der, or must go to prison. Artificial intelligence techniques (natural language pro-cessing and machine learning in the first place) enable private and public deci-sion-makers to analyse big data in order to build profiles, which are used to make decisions in an automated way. The lack of transparency of the algorithmic deci-sion-making process does not stem merely from the characteristics of the relevant techniques used, which can make it impossible to access the rationale of the deci-sion. It depends also on the abuse of and overlap between intellectual property rights (the “legal black box”). In the US, nearly half a million patented inventions concern algorithms; more than 67% of the algorithm-related patents were issued over the last ten years and the trend is increasing. To counter the increased mo-nopolisation of algorithms by means of intellectual property rights (with trade se-crets leading the way), this paper presents three legal routes that enable citizens to ‘open’ the algorithms. First, copyright and patent exceptions, as well as trade se-crets are discussed. Second, the EU General Data Protection Regulation is critical-ly assessed. In principle, data controllers are not allowed to use algorithms to take decisions that have legal effects on the data subject’s life or similarly significantly affect them. However, when they are allowed to do so, the data subject still has the right to obtain human intervention, to express their point of view, as well as to contest the decision. Additionally, the data controller shall provide meaningful in-formation about the logic involved in the algorithmic decision. Third, this paper critically analyses the first known case of a court using the access right under the Freedom of Information regime to grant an injunction to release the source code of the computer program that implements an algorithm. Only an integrated ap-proach – which takes into account intellectual property, data protection, and free-dom of Information – may provide the citizen affected by an algorithmic decision of an effective remedy as required by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Alice Stevenson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Freedom of Information and records management in local government help or hindrance
Information polity, 2011Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Alice Stevenson, Andrew FlinnAbstract:Research into the impact of the UK Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 on records management services in public authorities, especially in local government was carried out by the Department of Information Studies at UCL in 2008- 2009, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project considered the inter-relationship between records management and Freedom of Information, and examined the co-operation and partnerships needed in order to maximise the benefits of Freedom of Information. The first phase of the research was an extensive literature review, focusing on Freedom of Information and records management in the UK. This was followed by qualitative research using semi-structured interviews to gather rich data from council officials responsible for the provision of records management, Information governance and Freedom of Information functions, complemented by interviews with requestors, to provide an outsider's perspective. The article reports on the position of records management in local government prior to 2000s drawing on the literature, outlines the research findings on FOI and records management policy and practice in local government, and concludes by considering the perspective of requestors and users of the FOIA as engaged citizens.
-
Information governance records management and Freedom of Information a study of local government authorities in england
Government Information Quarterly, 2010Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Alice Stevenson, Andrew FlinnAbstract:In many democratic states political rhetoric gives weight to increasing public participation in and understanding of the political process; (re)-establishing public trust in government decision making; increasing transparency, openness, and accountability of public authorities; and, ultimately, improving government decision-making on behalf of citizens. Access to the public record and Freedom of Information (FOI) are mechanisms which help to facilitate the accountability of public authorities. Many jurisdictions have introduced legislation related to these mechanisms, and the UK government is no exception with its enactment of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in 2000. University College London (UCL) ran a research project over 12 months in 2008–2009, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. The research project examined what the impact of the UK FOIA had been on records management services in public authorities, especially local government. This article reports on some of the findings of the study. It considers how FOI compliance and records management functions are organized in local government and the role of Information governance which is emerging as an umbrella for such functions. It draws some conclusions about the contributions that records management services make to the ability of local authorities to comply with the FOIA and identifies some ways in which user experience may be affected by the management of records.
-
the impact of Freedom of Information on records management and record use in local government a literature review
Journal of The Society of Archivists, 2009Co-Authors: Elizabeth Shepherd, Alice Stevenson, Andrew FlinnAbstract:In 2008–2009, a research project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, was run by the Department of Information Studies at University College London (UCL). It examined the impact of the UK Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 on records management services in public authorities, especially in local government. The project considered the inter-relationship between records management and Freedom of Information, and examined the cooperation and partnerships needed in order to maximise the benefits of Freedom of Information. A part of the first phase of the research was an extensive literature review: this article introduces the literature on Freedom of Information and records management, focusing on the UK. It suggests that while there were significant preparations by some public authorities for the full implementation of the Act in 2005, perhaps the necessary culture change and strategic leadership did not follow. There are, as yet, few studies of the user experience of Freedom of informati...
