Transparency and Trust - Mastering a Crisis Deliberatively
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26481/marble.2012.v1.119Abstract
In this section I will analyse the relationship between governmental transparency and public trust. In doing so, I want to figure out under which circumstances transparency can lead to an increased trust in government. Answering these questions will be of utmost importance for the way we organise politics as a society. Do we want a clear distinction between governors and governed? Or do we rather wish a conception of politics in which every citizen can participate? Whether we decide for the first or the second of these options will in turn also determine our expectations with regard to transparency. Transparency is not a monolithic concept and it occurs in many different forms (cf. Heald, 2006). In this paper I will attempt to develop an understanding of transparency which is embedded in the framework of deliberative democracy (Held, 2006; Warren, 1999). This means that transparency cannot stop with the retrospective provision of governmental information. Indeed, policy-makers seem to have acknowledged the potential of expanded transparency. In an attempt to comply with the demands for increased transparency, governments have launched freedom of information legislations (Birkinshaw, 2006; Relly & Sabharwal, 2009). In 2005, the German government, too, has set up such a law. According to this act “[everyone] is entitled to official information from the authorities of the Federal Government” (Freedom of Information Act, 2005, art.1). However, the exceptions from this general rule included in the law prevent that the citizen enjoys transparency which enables him to better monitor governmental working. These exceptions comprise for instance drafts and working papers of governmental institutions. Jeannine Relly and Meghna Sabharwal conclude that freedom of information laws do not suffice to improve the public’s perception of transparency (Relly & Sabharwal, 2009). Further, this implies that the notion of transparency implicit in such pieces of legislation (i.e. retrospective delivery of information) does not encourage citizens to trust their government.
References
Bartsch, K. (2009). Aktueller Begriff: Entwicklung der Wahlbeteiligung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Retrieved on 06.05.2011 from www.bundestag.de/dokumente/analysen/ 2009/entwicklung_wahlbeteiligung.pdf
Birkinshaw, P. (2006). Freedom of Information and Openness: Fundamental Human Rights?
Administrative Law Review 58, 177-218.
Braithwaite, J. (1998). Institutionalizing Distrust, Enculturating Trust. In V. Braithwaite & M. Levi (Eds.), Trust and Governance (pp.343-375). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Breeman, G. (2006). Cultivating Trust. In ibid., Cultivating Trust. How public policies become trusted (pp.165-181). Rotterdam: Optima Grafische Communicatie.
Bundeshaushalt 2008 (n.d.). Retrieved 5 March 2011 from http://www.mz-web.de/servlet/ ContentServer?pagename=ksta/mdsBild/popup&aid=1194628298663
Dalton, R.J. (2005). The social transformation of trust. International Review of Sociology, 15(1), 133-154.
Drennan, L.T. & McConnell, A. (2007) Risk and Crisis Management in the Public Sector. London [etc.]: Routledge.
Fearon, J.D. (1999). Electoral accountability and the control of politicians: selecting good types versus sanctioning poor performance. In A. Przeworski, S. Stokes & B. Manin (Eds.), Democracy, accountability, and representation (pp.55-97).
Feist, U. (1992). Niedrige Wahlbeteiligung – Normalisierung oder Krisensymptom der Demokratie in Deutschland?. In K. Starzacher, K. Schacht, B. Friedrich & T. Leif (Eds.), Protestwähler und Wahlverweigerer. Krise der Demokratie (pp.40-57). Köln: Bund-Verlag.
Finanzmarktstabilsierungsgesetz (2008, 17 October). Retrieved 02.February 2011 from http://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/nn_4328/DE/BMF_Startseite/Aktuelles/ Aktuelle_Gesetze/Gesetze_Verordnungen/Finanzmarktstabi_anl,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.pdf
Fischer, J. (2011). I am not convinced. Der Irak-Krieg und die rot-grünen Jahre. Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch.
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen (2008a). Politbarometer Oktober 1 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2011 from http://www.forschungsgruppe.de/Umfragen_und_Publikationen/Politbarometer/ Archiv/Politbarometer_2008/Oktober_I_2008/ (2008b). Politbarometer Oktober 2 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2011 from http:// www.forschungsgruppe.de/Umfragen_und_Publikationen/Politbarometer/Archiv/ Politbarometer_2008/Oktober_II_2008/
Freedom to Information Act (5 September 2005). Retrieved 5 February 2011 from http://www.bfdi.bund.de/SharedDocs/IFG/IFGBundesgesetzUndGebuehrenO/TextIFG_ EN.pdf?_blob=publicationFile
Hager, C. (1993). Citizen Movements and Technological policymaking in Germany. Annals of the Academy of Political and Social Science, 528, 42-55.
Heald, D. (2006). Varieties of transparency. In C. Hood & D. Heald [Eds.], Transparency. The key to better governance? (pp.25-43). Oxford [etc.]: Oxford University Press for the British Academy.
Held, D. (2006). Deliberative Democracy and the Defence of the Public Realm. In ibid., Models of Democracy (pp.231-258). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Hood, C. (2006a). Transparency in historical perspective. In C. Hood & D. Heald [Eds.], Transparency. The key to better governance? (pp.3-23). Oxford [etc.]. Oxford University Press for the British Academy. (2006b). Beyond exchanging first principles? Some closing comments. In C. Hood & D. Heald [Eds.], Transparency. The key to better governance? (pp.211-225). Oxford [etc.]: Oxford University Press for the British Academy.
Infratest Dimap (2008a) ARD-DeutschlandTREND Oktober 2008. Retrieved on 25.02.2011 from http://www.infratest-dimap.de/uploads/media/dt0810.pdf . (2008b) ARD-DeutschlandTREND November 2008. Retrieved 25.02.2011 from http:// www.infratest-dimap.de/uploads/media/dt0811.pdf.
Levi, M. (1998). A State of Trust. In V. Braithwaite and M. Levi (Eds.), Trust and Governance (pp.77-101). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Löfstedt, R. (2009). Risk management in post-trust societies. London: Earthscan.
Manin, B., Przeworski, A. & Stokes, S. (1999). Elections and Representation. In ibid., Democracy, accountability, and representation (pp.29-54). Cambridge [etc.]: Cambridge University Press.
O’Neill, O. (2002). Trust and Transparency. In ibid., A question of trust. Cambridge [etc.]: Cambridge University Press.
Philipps, A. (1995). Deliberation, Accountability, and Interest. In ibid., The politics of presence (pp.145-166). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Relly, J.E. & Sabharwal, M. (2009). Perceptions of transparency of government policymaking: A cross-national study. Government Information Quaterly 26, 148-157.
Roubini, N. & Mihm, S. (2010). Plattentektonik. In ibid., Das Ende der Weltwirtschaft und ihre Zukunft. Crisis Economics (pp.90-122). Frankfurt/Main: Campus.
Schmidt, M.G. (2003). Linking People and Political Institutions. In ibid., Political Institutions in the Federal Republic of Germany (pp.131-200). Oxford [etc.]: Oxford University Press.
Schwennike, C. (2011, 23 May). Dr. Merkels Sprechstunde. Der Spiegel, pp.32-33.
Steinbrück, P. (2010). Unterm Strich. Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe.
Thomassen, J. (1999). Political Communication between Political Elites and Mass Publics: The role of Belief Systems. In W.E. Miller [et al.] (Eds.), Policy Representation in Western Democracies (pp.33-58). Oxford [etc.]: Oxford University Press.
Tillmann, S. (2011, 21 April). Stimmvieh. Financial Times Deutschland, pp.25-26.
Warren, M.E. (1999). Democratic theory and trust. In ibid., Democracy and Trust (pp.310-345). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
