Proactive transparency in the USA and the Netherlands: the role of government communication officials

Abstract

Transparency is an intrinsic value of democratic societies. Within the literature, there is an emphasis on access to information and the availability of information in relation to transparency. This study, however, takes a communicative approach to government transparency. It focuses not only on information access and sharing but also on how information is shared and to whom it is communicated. Within government agencies, government communication officials or public affairs officers are one of the central figures in information sharing with stakeholders and citizens. Yet, so far, little is known about how they perceive and implement transparency initiatives. This study aims to enhance our understanding of proactive government transparency and the value of communication by developing a model that explains the role of government communication officials in the implementation of transparency practices. The explanatory model is tested in two democratic countries: the United States and the Netherlands. An online survey shows that government communication officials in the United States and the Netherlands can enhance but also occasionally distort transparency. Furthermore, some differences were found between the countries: Americans are more involved in the proactive disclosure of information than Dutch government communicators.