Transnational Law Commons^™

The Adoption Of Transparency Policies In Global Governance Institutions: Justifications, Effects, And Implications, Megan Donaldson, Benedict Kingsbury

Megan A Donaldson

Formal transparency policies are increasingly prevalent in global governance institutions, partially attenuating the influence in these institutions of practices of secrecy inherited from interstate diplomacy. This article assesses the incidence and specific characteristics of formal transparency policies across a select group of institutions and outlines some of the justifications given for these policies - including justifications based on the publicness of these institutions - and for the more controversial exceptions to transparency, such as the exception for deliberative materials. It examines three drivers affecting the adoption, form, and content of transparency policies and other transparency measures in these institutions: spillover …