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Government disclosure involves making information available to the public, often through laws such as the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the US. This transparency is believed to benefit citizens, but may not always serve the interests of the government or political parties. In less developed countries, corruption and injustice may lead to a lack of willingness to share information.
Government disclosure refers to the act of government agencies making information available. In many cases, when information is shared it is not just a matter of goodwill but rather a matter of law. In the United States (USA), for example, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives individuals a wide range of rights relating to access to information about government offices, their businesses and their employees. Compliance with these regulations does not always work in the favor of the current administration, political parties and others who are actively involved with the government.
In a democratic society, the government and its agents should be at the service of the people. It is commonly believed that such entities act in the best interests of the citizens they serve when there is transparency. For this reason, in many developed nations, government agencies are bound by strict policies that guarantee public rights over most information concerning public agencies. These rights, however, do not extend to classified information.
In the United States, all federal government agencies are subject to the FOIA. This means that all but a small confidential portion of each agency’s affairs is public information. Upon request, agencies are obligated to provide the public with answers to questions or access to requested information. This can be information about expenses, employee activities, or departmental policies.
The FOIA also makes it mandatory for these government bodies to disclose certain information without request. While state governments may have policies that vary from those of the federal government, most have similar transparency regulations. This type of government disclosure is believed to be extremely beneficial to the people. It can help keep government offices honest and efficient, and help citizens determine which areas of government are effective or ineffective.
However, it does not always work in the interests of an administration or a political party. Information disclosed to the public can influence election results, cause citizens to pressure officials to take action on a given issue, or create civil unrest. This is probably part of why the development and dissemination of good governance tend to be related. In less developed countries, where there is a great deal of corruption, cronyism, and other injustices, it is common to find an unwillingness to share information with the public, even though government disclosure laws exist.
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