Freedom of Information Reform in China

Weibing Xiao is Associate Professor of Law, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, China.

• 1. Introduction 2. Information Flow as an Analytical Device for FOI Research 3. The Improved Information Environment as a Rationale for FOI Reform in China 4. Democratization as a Rationale for FOI Reform in China 5. Law-Based Administration as a Rationale for FOI Reform in China 6. Reassessment of Economic Growth and Anti-Corruption Efforts as Rationales for FOI Reform in China 7. Gradual Legislative Process for FOI Reform in China 8. China’s Limited Push Model of FOI Legislation 9. Compliance with Proactive Disclosure Requirements in Practice 10. Non Compliance with Reactive Disclosure Requirements in Practice 11. Information Flow Analysis Improving FOI Theoretical Development

"Xiao’s book is a very accessible, scholarly text geared to readers in a wide range ofdisciplines. Public administration and legal scholars will find new and eloquent arguments explaining the emergence of legislation on freedom of information in China; for political science scholars, the book’s in-depth portrait and analysis of the ensuing legislative process offer another case illuminating the complexity and intricacies of China’s reform; and for media and communication scholars focusing on freedom of the media, the book introduces a closely related but less studied subject: freedom of information."-Fei Shen, City University of Hong Kong; China Information 2012 26: 391