citizen science; field experiment; freedom of information laws; policy evaluation; transparency; Development; Sociology and Political Science
Abstract :
[en] This study pioneers the use of citizen science in evaluating Freedom of Information laws, with a focus on Belgium, where since its 1994 enactment, Freedom of Information’s effectiveness has remained largely unexamined. Utilizing participatory methods, it engages citizens in assessing transparency policies, significantly contributing to public policy evaluation methodology. The research identifies regional differences in Freedom of Information implementation across Belgian municipalities, highlighting that larger municipalities handle requests more effectively, while administrations generally show reluctance to respond to requests from perceived knowledgeable individuals. This phenomenon reflects a broader European caution toward well-informed requesters. By integrating citizen science, this study not only advances our understanding of Freedom of Information law effectiveness in Belgium but also advocates for a more inclusive, collaborative approach to policy evaluation. It addresses the gap in researchers’ experience with citizen science, showcasing its vast potential to enhance participatory governance and policy evaluation.
Disciplines :
Political science, public administration & international relations
Author, co-author :
Esposito, Giovanni ; Université de Liège - ULiège > HEC Liège : UER > UER Management : Sustainable Strategy ; Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Cicatiello, Lorenzo; University of Naples L’Orientale, Italy
Mabillard, Vincent; Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
Lucio Gaeta, Giuseppe; University of Naples L’Orientale, Italy
Language :
English
Title :
Toward a citizen science framework for public policy evaluation: Lessons from a field experiment on Freedom of Information laws in Belgium
Ansell C Gash A (2008) Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 18(4): 543–71.
Beierle TC Cayford J (2002) Democracy in Practice: Public Participation in Environmental Decisions. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Press.
Bonney R Ballard H Jordan R, et al. (2009) Public participation in scientific research: Defining the field and assessing its potential for informal science education. A CAISE Inquiry Group Report. Washington, DC: Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE).
Bryson JM Barbara C Crosby Stone MM (2006) The design and implementation of cross-sector collaborations: Propositions from the literature. Public Administration Review 66: 44–55.
Cicatiello L De Simone E Di Mascio F, et al. (2022a) Exploring FOI publicity patterns: The case of Italian municipalities. Government Information Quarterly 39: 101678.
Cicatiello L De Simone E Di Mascio F, et al. (2022b) Exploring patterns of implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in local government: The case of Italy. Etica Pubblica 2: 63–79.
Cicatiello L De Simone E Di Mascio F, et al. (2024) Response, awareness and requester identity in FOI law: Evidence from a field experiment. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 220: 12–30.
Council of the EU (2021) Council recommendation on a pact for research and innovation in Europe. Document 14136/21, 19 November. Brussels: Council of the EU.
Cuillier D (2010) Honey v. vinegar: Testing compliance-gaining theories in the context of freedom of information laws. Communication Law and Policy 15(3): 203–29.
Dickinson JL Zuckerberg B Bonter DN (2010) Citizen science as an ecological research tool: Challenges and citizen. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 41: 149–72.
Ebitu L Avery H Mourad KA, et al. (2021) Citizen science for sustainable agriculture—A systematic literature review. Land Use Policy 103: 105326.
Eitzel M Cappadonna J Santos-Lang C, et al. (2017) Citizen science terminology matters: Exploring key terms. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice 2: 1–20.
Emerson K Nabatchi T Balogh S (2012) An integrative framework for collaborative governance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 22(1): 1–29.
Esposito G Clement J Mora L, et al. (2021) One size does not fit all: Framing smart city policy narratives within regional socio-economic contexts in Brussels and Wallonia. Cities 118: 103329.
Esposito G Terlizzi A Pichault F (2024) The Panopticon reloaded: A critical analysis of performance management systems in the trans-European transport network policy. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space 42(3): 476–98.
Garcia AP Wallerstein N Hricko A, et al. (2013) The (trade, health, environment) impact project: A community-based participatory research environmental justice case study. Environmental Justice 6(1): 17–26.
Gerlak AK Heikkila T (2011) Building a theory of learning in collaboratives: Evidence from the everglades restoration program. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 21(4): 619–44.
Göbel C Ottolini L Schulze A (2021) Science as a lever: The roles and power of civil society organisations in citizen science. In: Vohland KA Land-Zandstra L Ceccaroni R, et al. (eds) The Science of Citizen Science. Cham: Springer, 331–49.
Grimmelikhuijsen S John P Meijer A, et al. (2018) Do freedom of information laws increase transparency of government? A replication of a field experiment. Journal of Behavioral Public Administration 1(2): 1–10.
Hager G Gold M Wehn U, et al. (2021) Onto new horizons: Insights from the WeObserve project to strengthen the awareness, acceptability and sustainability of citizen observatories in Europe. JCOM: Journal of Science Communication 20(6): A01.
Hecker S Wicke N Haklay M, et al. (2019) How does policy conceptualise citizen science? A qualitative content analysis of international policy documents. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice 432(1): 1–16.
Heimstädt M Dobusch L (2018) Politics of disclosure: Organizational transparency as multi-actor negotiation. Public Administration Review 78(5): 727–38.
Hoekman B Rojas-Romagosa H (2022) EU trade sustainability impact assessments: Revisiting the consultation process. Journal of International Economic Law 25(1): 45–60.
Lagunes P Pocasangre O (2019) Dynamic transparency: An audit of Mexico’s freedom of information act. Public Administration 97(1): 162–176.
Li W Germine LT Mehr SA, et al. (2022) Developmental psychologists should adopt citizen science to improve generalization and reproducibility. Infant and Child Development 33: 1.
Kahan JP (2001) Focus groups as a tool for policy analysis. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy 1(1): 129–46.
Keunen S Van Garsse S (2019) Access to information in Belgium. In: Dragos DC Kovač P Marseille AT (eds) The Laws of Transparency in Action: A European Perspective. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 119–62.
Maggioni E Nelson H Mazmanian D (2012) Stakeholder participation and state climate change policies. Policy Studies Journal 40(2): 234–55.
Mason L Arathi HS (2019) Assessing the efficacy of citizen scientists monitoring native bees in urban areas. Global Ecology and Conservation 17: 00561.
Michener G Rodrigues K (2015) Who wants to know? Assessing discrimination in transparency and freedom of information regimes. In: Fourth Global Conference on Transparency Research, Lugano, Switzerland, 4–6 June.
Michener G Velasco RB Contreras E, et al. (2020) Googling the requester: Identity-questing and discrimination in public service provision. Governance 33: 249–67.
Renn O Webler T Rakel H, et al. (1993) Public participation in decision making: A three-step procedure. Policy Sciences 26: 189–214.
Sanz FS Holocher-Ertl T Kieslinger B, et al. (2020 [2014]) White Paper on Citizen Science for Europe. Brussels: European Commission.
Senabre Hidalgo E Perelló J Becker F, et al. (2021) Participation and co-creation in citizen science. In: Vohland KA Land-Zandstra L Ceccaroni R, et al. (eds) The Science of Citizen Science. Cham: Springer, 199–218.
Siddiki S Kim J Leach WD (2017) Diversity, trust, and social learning in collaborative governance. Public Administration Review 77(6): 863–74.
Spáč P Voda P Zagrapan J (2018) Does the freedom of information law increase transparency at the local level? Evidence from a field experiment. Government Information Quarterly 35(3): 408–17.
Tassie B Murray V Cutt J, et al. (1996) Rationality and politics: What really goes on when funders evaluate the performance of fundees? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 25: 347–63.
Tauginienė L Butkevičienė E Vohland K, et al. (2020) Citizen science in the social sciences and humanities: The power of interdisciplinarity. Palgrave Communications 6: 89.
Taylor B de Loë RC (2012) Conceptualizations of local knowledge in collaborative environmental governance. Geoforum 43(6): 1207–17.
Vohland KA Land-Zandstra L Ceccaroni R, et al. (2021) The Science of Citizen Science. Cham: Springer.
Wagner AJ (2021) Piercing the veil: Examining demographic and political variables in state FOI Law administration. Government Information Quarterly 38(1): 101541.
Wehn U Ajates R Fraisl D, et al. (2021) Capturing and communicating impact of citizen science for policy: A storytelling approach. Journal of Environmental Management 295: 113082.
Wiggins A Crowston K (2011) From conservation to crowdsourcing: A typology of citizen science. In: 2011 44th Hawaii international conference on system sciences, Kauai, HI, 4–7 January, 1–10. New York: IEEE.
Worthy B John P Vannoni M (2017) 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 27(3): 485–500.
