Abstract Freedom of Information (FOI) laws are widely adopted to promote transparency, yet their implementation diverges from formal legal expectations. This article examines how variations in FOI requests shape administrative responses and what these patterns reveal about bureaucratic behavior in municipal administrations. Drawing on a randomized field experiment across Belgian municipalities, the study analyzes how public officials respond to identical FOI requests varying by requester identity and legal framing. The findings show that responsiveness is not neutral but varies systematically across request characteristics and contexts. Ordinary citizens receive higher disclosure rates than institutional or advocacy actors, and invoking FOI law increases compliance for some requesters while reducing it for others. These patterns suggest that administrative responses – understood as observable expressions of bureaucratic behavior – are shaped by how officials interpret implications of requests, including perceived risk and accountability. The article advances a behavioral interpretation of FOI implementation as an embedded administrative practice.
Abstract The green transition implies a shift towards renewable energies. However, their deployment has faced some backlash. This article assesses whether (a) the type of renewables and (b) framing can affect support for deployment. Through a survey experiment, three types of renewables (hydropower, onshore wind, offshore wind) and three types of frames (energy sovereignty, economic competitiveness, green transition) are evaluated, in general and for two typically skeptical groups (the least climate-worried and the less-educated ruralites). Using the case of Norway, we find strong effects for the type of renewables but little evidence for general framing effects. There are two exceptions: green framing has a negative effect on support for renewables where citizens have more fluid preferences (offshore wind) and depresses support among the least climate-worried and the less-educated ruralites. For these citizens, remaining silent about the climate benefits of renewable energy will actually boost support for its deployment.
Abstract Toxics information disclosure programs have been hailed by some as being among the most successful environmental programs in history. Yet critics have argued that these policies may invite abuse by reducing traditional regulatory monitoring and enforcement, leading to poorer policy outcomes. Leveraging variation in U.S. state toxics transparency programs, we assess these conflicting claims. We find that information disclosure policies are associated with differences in agency monitoring and enforcement actions as well as with emission levels, but that these relationships are conditioned by the severity of the pollution problem. Overall, our evidence suggests that public information policies and traditional forms of regulation are imperfect substitutes, and successfully reducing toxic emissions requires both policy tools working in concert.
Abstract This paper examines the field of memory policy research within the broader study of memory politics. It asks how memory policies are conceptualized in existing scholarship and whether they are approached from a policy studies perspective. Previous research has addressed diverse memory-related practices but has failed to provide a consistent and policy-oriented conceptualization of memory policies. To address this gap, we integrate a scoping review with a systematic literature review structured through the PRISMA approach. We analyze peer-reviewed articles to map trends, assess conceptual uses, and reconstruct the notion of memory policies by examining how scholars define and evaluate them across different empirical contexts. Our findings demonstrate the need for a clearer, policy-focused framework to better understand the dynamics and implications of memory policies.
Abstract One of the enduring questions in political science is whether large communities behave differently from small ones. While prior research has examined the political, democratic, and economic implications of community size, a key dimension remains underexplored: how political agendas differ across jurisdictions of varying sizes. This study addresses this gap by examining how the size and geography of local jurisdictions shape the size, issue diversity, complexity, and issue content of local policy agendas. Drawing on a systematic collection and coding of thousands of local council meeting agendas from Danish and Norwegian municipalities, the analysis reveals significant differences in agenda characteristics between large and small communities. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how jurisdiction size shapes democratic processes and local governance.
