Contrasting Information Demand and Information Supply: Digital Platforms as Intermediaries of Citizen-Government Interaction

Abstract

Digital technologies can improve citizen-government interaction such as citizens’ requests for public information and government's publication of requested information. Digital intermediaries such as Freedom of Information (FOI) platforms support citizens and government in exchanging this information. Such digital platforms are hosted by non-governmental organizations, which forward information requests to the responsible authority on behalf of the requester and publish the entire process online. This study aims to explore the usage of FOI platforms by both citizens as information requesters and government organizations as information providers. By adopting a single case research approach, this study investigates the German FOI platform ‘FragDenStaat’ which is operated by the non-governmental organization Open Knowledge Foundation Germany. The findings indicate that citizens have constantly and increasingly used the platform over the last 13 years, since the launch of the platform. About 38 percent of submitted requests are successfully answered, and the overall likeliness of successful requests has increased over time. In addition, federal organizations are the most frequently requested organizations. While the Federal Office of Information Security stands out for its high responsiveness rate, the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice and Health of Schleswig-Holstein tend to refuse requests. We conclude by discussing the potential of FOI platforms as open data intermediaries for processing information requests and contributing to efficient citizen-state interaction and public service provision.