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E-book
Author Worthy, Ben, author

Title The politics of freedom of information : how and why governments pass laws that threaten their power / Ben Worthy
Published Manchester : Manchester University Press, 2017

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Description 1 online resource
Series Manchester Political Studies
Contents FOI : hard to resist and hard to escape -- From radical to inevitable : the development of FOI in Britain -- New Labour, new openness? -- The 1997 white paper : a symbolic victory? -- The 1999 draft bill : the retreat becomes a rout -- The Parliamentary passage : asymmetric warfare -- FOI in the UK : survival and afterlife -- The US, Australia and India : two firsts and the greatest? -- Ireland and New Zealand : a legacy and an assault from within -- FOI and the remaking of politics -- Conclusion: Why do governments pass FOI laws?
Summary "Why do governments pass freedom of information laws? The symbolic power and force surrounding FOI makes it appealing as an electoral promise but hard to disengage from once in power. However, behind closed doors compromises and manoeuvres ensure that bold policies are seriously weakened before they reach the statute book. This book examines how Tony Blair's government proposed a radical FOI law only to back down in fear of what it would do. But FOI survived, in part due to the government's reluctance to be seen to reject a law that spoke of 'freedom', 'information' and 'rights'. After comparing the British experience with the difficult development of FOI in Australia, India and the United States - and the rather different cases of Ireland and New Zealand - the book concludes by looking at how the disruptive, dynamic and democratic effects of FOI laws continue to cause controversy once in operation."-- Back cover
Notes 1. FOI: hard to resist and hard to escape 2. From radical to inevitable: the development of FOI in Britain 3. New Labour, new openness? 4. The 1997 White Paper: a symbolic victory? 5. The 1999 draft Bill: the retreat becomes a rout 6. The Parliamentary passage: asymmetric warfare 7. FOI in the UK: survival and afterlife 8. The US, Australia and India: two firsts and the greatest? 9. Ireland and New Zealand: a legacy and an assault from within 10. FOI and the remaking of politics Conclusion: why do governments pass FOI laws? References Index
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes In English
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Subject Freedom of information -- Great Britain
Freedom of information law.
Law.
LAW -- Public.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Freedom & Security -- Civil Rights.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Freedom & Security -- Human Rights.
LAW / Public
Freedom of information
Politics and government
Law -- Laws of specific jurisdictions & specific areas of law -- Constitutional & administrative law: general -- Administrative jurisdiction & public administration.
SUBJECT Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1997-2007. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh97005399
Subject Great Britain
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9781526108524
1526108526
9781526108517
1526108518
9781526124159
1526124157