Transparency in electronic governance: Freedom of information via governmental website

Abstract

With widespread use and application of modern information and communication technology (ICT), especially computers and the Internet, the realization of government informational transparency through digital channels has been at the core of contemporary democratic governance. This chapter examines public transparency in Taiwan as seen in its development of electronic government, especially in the construction and use of public websites, which in recent years has received significant approbation in various international evaluations. It has been noted that most of its public agencies have established websites that designate sections for freedom of information (FOI) purposes. Of all the kinds of information seen in the public website sections, "policy white papers, statistics and reports" are the most abundant, are updated most frequently, and are most browsed by site visitors. Governments in Taiwan have also implemented back-office procedures and system applications for FOI purposes through the use of websites. Though only half of the surveyed public agencies provide online FOI request forms, most agencies rely on their agency-head e-mail boxes as main channels for receiving and processing citizen FOI requests. As e-transparency is a critical way of governing and a basis for governing legitimacy, the experiences and developments seen in the Taiwan case can serve as important references for international comparisons and further understanding. © 2012, IGI Global.