Rutgers Transparency and Governance Center Teams Up on Democracy Fund Grant to Support Research on Increased Volume of Public Record Requests
The Rutgers Transparency and Governance Center (TGC), directed by Dr. Suzanne Piotrowski, professor at the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) of Rutgers University–Newark, and Democracy Fund today announced a $225,000 grant to support a multi-university research project that will aid government agencies in handling unduly burdensome public records requests without restricting the flow of civic information.
In recent years, some state and local government agencies have been deluged with more public records requests than they can respond to consistent with state sunshine laws, leading legislatures to pass harmful laws in some states that allow agencies to delay, charge extra fees, or even fine, sue and blackball citizens for asking for too much information. One such bill was considered this spring in Colorado.
Dr. Piotrowski and the Transparency and Governance Center will team up with leading global scholars in freedom of information, including David Cuillier, director of the College of Journalism and Communications at University of Florida’s Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project, which will coordinate the project, Ben Worthy, a senior lecturer in politics at the University of London, and Michele Kimball, a senior lecturer at Johns Hopkins University.
“We are excited to support this important research project,” said Lindsay Daniels, Senior Director of Elections and Voting at Democracy Fund. “Researching and proposing solutions to this issue will lead to a more transparent, resilient election system. The delays caused by overwhelmed agencies harm all requestors, and this project can help identify opportunities to balance the burden on civil servants while still providing important information to the public.”
The research team will first inventory current legal remedies now employed in the U.S. and other countries. Then, the researchers will survey and interview public officials and requesters to analyze what laws and administrative practices are most effective at mitigating damage to government agencies while still empowering journalists, citizens, and businesses to acquire the information they need to inform the public, hold government accountable, and support the information economy. The team also will partner with Reed College in Portland, Oregon, in surveying local election officials. Solutions will be disseminated this fall and through 2025 to policymakers, government agencies, and freedom of information advocates.
In addition to being director of the Transparency and Governance Center at Rutgers SPAA, Dr. Piotrowski is also co-director of the school's Master of Public Administration program. She researches freedom of information, transparency, and open government issues with a strong focus on connecting with communities of practice, and writes widely on public management, accountability, and transparency issues and publishes extensively in academic journals and edited volumes. Her latest book, The Power of Partnership in Open Government: Reconsidering Multistakeholder Governance Reform, received the 2024 Best Book Award from the American Society for Public Administration's Section on Public Administration Research.
About Rutgers Transparency and Governance Center (TGC)
The Transparency and Governance Center (TGC) in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) focuses on programming, research, and projects related to public sector transparency and governance at both the local and global levels. TGC understands that governments have an obligation to inclusively give citizens the opportunity to play a part in decision-making.
About Democracy Fund
Democracy Fund is an independent and nonpartisan, private foundation that confronts deep-rooted challenges in American democracy while defending against new threats. Since 2014, Democracy Fund has made grants of more than $275 million in support of those working to strengthen democracy through the pursuit of a vibrant and diverse public square, free and fair elections, effective and accountable government, and a just and inclusive society.