Research & Publications

Transparency is a simple idea that is exceedingly complicated in practice. At best, transparency can improve markets and governments. At worst, policies that claim to provide the public with information about the toxic chemicals they breathe, what's in the food they eat, or which cars or hospitals are safest can end up deceiving consumers or citizens into making bad choices. They can make the failings of markets and governments worse.

 

In our books, articles and ongoing research, we try to understand how transparency works—or fails to work—in different circumstances and how it can become a more effective tool of governance. You will find the most complete statement of our findings in Full Disclosure: The Perils and Promise of Transparency. In articles and working papers, we explore how transparency can influence critical issues—from workplace hazards, to greenhouse gases, to genetically modified foods.

 

In our ongoing research, we examine some of the frontiers in transparency as a tool of social policy. Can it lead to more effective and accountable government spending? Can it improve services or reduce corruption in developing countries? Can consumers share information about safety problems in early warning systems that save lives?