Freedom of information (FOI) laws empower citizens to access public information from public organizations, enhancing government transparency and accountability. Previous studies have evaluated government transparency and FOI compliance based on the proactive release of information and governments' responses to citizens' requests. This study extends prior research by focusing on regulatory compliance mechanisms in German public organizations. Specifically, it investigates how these organizations respond to information requests under varying legislative frameworks across Germany's 16 states (Länder). Based on six legal elements (de jure provisions), we examine FOI law stringency and investigate their association with government responsiveness to approximate de facto regulatory compliance. Based on an analysis of over 100,000 requests directed at more than 7000 German public sector organizations, we find that not all six legal elements are directly associated with responsiveness. Only those elements that signify a broader organizational commitment to transparency are linked to higher responsiveness. This study contributes to public sector transparency literature by highlighting the complex interplay between variations in FOI laws and actual compliance, and underscores the need for further research on the assumed causal relationship between FOI law stringency and transparency outcomes.

中文翻译：

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从法律透明度到事实上的透明度：根据信息自由法分析合规差距


信息自由 （FOI） 法使公民能够从公共组织获取公共信息，从而提高政府透明度和问责制。以前的研究根据主动发布信息和政府对公民请求的回应来评估政府透明度和 FOI 合规性。本研究通过关注德国公共组织的监管合规机制来扩展先前的研究。具体来说，它调查了这些组织如何在德国 16 个州 （Länder） 的不同立法框架下响应信息请求。根据六个法律要素（法律规定），我们研究了 FOI 法律的严格性，并调查了它们与政府对近似事实上的监管合规性的反应之间的关联。根据对针对 7000 多个德国公共部门组织的 100,000 多份请求的分析，我们发现并非所有六个法律要素都与响应性直接相关。只有那些表明组织对透明度的更广泛承诺的元素才能与更高的响应能力相关联。本研究通过强调 FOI 法律的变化与实际合规性之间的复杂相互作用，为公共部门透明度文献做出了贡献，并强调了进一步研究 FOI 法律严格性和透明度结果之间假设的因果关系的必要性。