Government
UNESCO specifies the need for information access to all citizens. The implication follows that governments must enable citizens to become information literate. Government sets the tone for society, especially information literacy. Its influence on media was discussed in the previous chapter, but it also impacts education, business, health care, etc. In addition to its role as an information literacy facilitator, government also has direct information seeking and providing relationships with citizens.
These relationships develop regardless of government type (e.g. democratic, communist, monarchy). Cases can be made that one is better disposed to information literacy than others. However, most governments that profess to be one type of government do not wholly embrace its ideology. For example, the former USSR was a self-proclaimed communist state, but it is hard to imagine Karl Marx or Friedrich Engels supporting the regime of an administration like Josef Stalin’s. Other examples include Thomas Jefferson’s and George W. Bush’s interpretations of the United States, or King Alfred and England’s modern kingdom alliance. As a result, information literacy might work better in one country than another even though they both profess the same ideals. Arguably, it depends upon the rights of a government’s citizens to exercise free speech, and an environment in which the government is transparent.
Information literacy is obviously not the sole focus of government: in fact, many would dispute the UNESCO implication of responsibility. For example, many citizens, if given a choice between information literacy or national security, would argue that security is more important (I will discuss the importance of information literacy to national security in Chapter 7). Therefore, if the government concealed information from citizens on the grounds of defense, those same individuals would probably have no problem.
This chapter will not compare different systems of government in terms of information literacy; instead it will continue to consider individual relationships. There are many specific information literacy relationships between citizens and governments; however, this chapter will consider the broad roles of Citizen and Government. Although it is very general, it can be applied to most of the situations in which they interact.
Citizen as seeker
There are several reasons why citizens might want information from or about their government. One is voting. In Chapter 1, I used the example of direct observation of a candidate’s speech as primary information for a voting decision as opposed to a secondary commentary. For a nation to be truly information literate, its citizens must vote for candidates who understand and represent their best interests; it cannot be a matter of the citizens being told for whom to vote. This means listening to the candidates.
In addition to its links to voting, information literacy is necessary for daily lifestyle. There are often local and national services available for citizens, along with rules and regulations to follow. To take advantage of opportunities, and avoid trouble, a citizen must be information literate about the government jurisdictions in which he or she lives. An example is provided by government business incentives. For large companies, it is less difficult to Locate such opportunities. Even if the government does not reach out to them they still have their own liaisons and professionals whose jobs it is to know about different programs and regulations. For small businesses, locating government information is more difficult and time consuming but all the more important. Small business owners must understand what government programs and benefits are available to survive in the increasingly global market.
The need for government information extends to all sectors, and all levels: there are many regional and local government programs available to citizens (e.g. education, health care). Although developed for citizens, governments do not always effectively provide information about them. Therefore, the citizen must seek them, and being information literate about all levels of government will help.
Citizen as provider
When citizens vote, arguably they provide the most important information related to government that is available. Voting reflects where citizens stand on issues and leaders, and often determines how government will operate. Another way that citizens provide information is by answering questions on government forms or questionnaires. One example is income tax filing in the United States: all income-earning citizens must file an annual tax report. Among other things, the information provides the government with the ability to fairly refund or charge citizens a fee. Providing information is not the reason why citizens establish governments; however, by not fulfilling this role it is nearly impossible for a government to serve effectively. The seeker/provider roles form constant, interdependent relationships towards information literacy and government.
Interview with an Indian citizen: Mr Singh
Mr Singh has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, and as of this interview was pursuing a Master’s degree. He has firsthand experience with how the Indian Government operates from a citizen’s perspective, along with opinions about how the Indian Government, and governments in general, should facilitate information literacy, along with a citizen’s responsibility.
Although he was unfamiliar with the term ‘information literacy’, he does appreciate the importance of grasping ‘all the basic things you need to know about something important to you’ especially when it comes to government. He described the application process he endured to study abroad: he had to Locate the rules, regulations and necessary documents to satisfy the requirements. This required visiting several different departments and dealing with numerous bureaucrats. However, before he got to Locate, he first had to Identify what government programs were best suited to his needs. This was confusing. Based upon that experience and others, Mr Singh believes there is ‘lots of room for improvement’ in how citizens seek information in India.
‘There needs to be better management’ of the information on the part of the government. He believes this can be accomplished via the Five-Year Plans that India initiates at the national level. He thinks that more focus towards information literacy should be part of future plans, along with serious commitment to them.
Although he thinks information literacy is important at all government levels, it is most important at the national level. He alluded again to the Five-Year Plans, and how they set the tone for all levels of Indian Government. ‘As it [government] goes up, the information gets more important.’ As a result, it is all the more unfortunate to him that it is at the national level where citizens have the most trouble pursuing information literacy. Not that the Indian regional and local administrations are ideal, but it is definitely easier to keep citizens informed at those lower levels. ‘It’s due to the infrastructure … technology and customs.’
Mr Singh believes that as providers, all citizens have responsibility to be honest and thorough when the government seeks information from them. ‘That is their purpose: they need your information to help you.’ He reiterated, however, that the government must facilitate effective information management systems to enable citizens to provide. ‘Just as it is difficult to find information, it’s difficult [for Indians] to give it’ because the government does not effectively facilitate the process.
Mr Singh recalled another experience where he was required to provide information for a business permit. He said that it was difficult to distinguish between what was officially needed as opposed to what was wanted on the part of individual bureaucrats. ‘This can be a problem; although they work for the federal government, they are still local people.’ Through this experience, Mr Singh found that information literacy rests solely on the individuals involved rather than a formal process. ‘They [the bureaucrats] wanted all my background information, but provided no understanding about what exactly they wanted, why, and on what form or interview.’ He said that this type of inconsistency runs rampant through Indian information outlets, and is a major obstacle to information literacy. ‘They need to explain to citizens what is happening so that we can give them what they need.’
Although Mr Singh believes that Indians have trouble attaining information literacy at the national level, he thinks that local government officials have more trouble obtaining what they need than their national counterparts. The information tends to be more particular, and thus more difficult to Locate. He illustrated his point by explaining that there are many small businesses that operate on local levels, but no consistent mechanism for officials to collect or monitor information about them. Inaccurate tax assessments and lack of adherence to regulations are examples he shared. ‘It is very easy for someone to do business without license or legal restriction … Whenever an accident occurs or the law broken, no one reports it.’
Although he again attributes this to poor information literacy facilitation in terms of infrastructure, culture also plays a part: ‘So many different dialects and customs. Region to region, town to town.’ Although India’s is a centralized government, the States within it are very diverse. What might apply to one region might not apply to another.
Mr Singh envisions that the greatest obstacle to Indians pursuing information literacy now and in the future is lack of education and lack of sense of civic responsibility. He blames both government and citizens for these obstacles. He thinks that improved education for all citizens will resolve many of the access issues (e.g. technology) and that better sense of responsibility will follow. ‘As it is, we wait to be told what to do … but an educated person knows how to deal with the government.’
Mr Singh acknowledges that government’s primary role should be to accommodate its citizen’s basic needs (e.g. food, shelter, health care), but believes that facilitating information literacy is pivotal to that end: ‘Being informed, and being able to become informed is important.’ For Indians to take advantage of opportunities and avoid problems, he thinks information literacy will be even more important in the future, especially as India improves its government infrastructure: there will be increased expectations placed on citizens. When asked what skills Indian officials and citizens will need to facilitate information literacy, he predicts that the ability to Locate, particularly with the computer and Internet, will be the most important and challenging.
Government as seeker
Arguably government’s role is more to provide information than to seek; as Mr Singh stated, however, it must seek information from and about citizens before it can provide to them. One type of seeking involves primary and secondary research about other countries for diplomatic and defense purposes. The main type, though, is domestic information of a primary nature (e.g. demographic information, vital statistics). Secondary sources are also useful, especially in early stages of research (e.g. previous studies conducted by other administrations, including methodologies and limitations; subject theoretical articles relevant to future studies or programs). However, without primary information, practical governance cannot occur. The information needs to be as timely, accurate and comprehensive as possible so that government has a true, thorough understanding of the needs of its citizens.
Government as provider
Few governments have policies that specifically address information literacy. There are professional organizations that promote it (e.g. Institute for Learning, UNESCO, American Library Association); however, these are not state-sponsored, and largely consist of information professionals. Rarely do government officials (except those in education departments) address information literacy to the degree that I believe their citizens need.
As provider, a government’s effectiveness depends on ability and inclination. These are easy to determine: Does it offer its citizens a robust Web presence? Does it coordinate with media outlets to provide news updates? Is the information it provides accurate and relevant?
An ability obstacle can be technology: some countries simply do not have the infrastructure or expertise to provide their citizens with useful information effectively. For example, the Human Development Reports ranks the Republic of Chad as one of the poorest nations in the world.1 Whether or not Chad’s leaders believe they have a responsibility to facilitate information literacy is inconsequential: citizens do not have access because the government lacks the necessary resources to make it happen.
An inclination obstacle is citizen freedom: as already stated, information literacy requires freedom of speech, along with transparency of government. From a democratic, Western perspective (ambiguous) this seems logical, but in some cultures the results of too much ‘freedom’ could be the antithesis of information literacy, perhaps not information literacy in terms of the components this book uses, but more as a mind state. As an American, I expect (naively perhaps) that government serves me; thus, when it comes to information literacy, I expect information about government to be readily available and accurate. However, is my perception of what the government should provide shared by citizens in other countries? What might be information literacy for one might not be for another, or worse, might be information illiteracy.
An example is provided by citizens in a nation heavily influenced by religion compared with those in a more secular country. Germany is a self-proclaimed social democracy; theoretically it acts upon what the majority of its citizens sees fit. Germans vote for political candidates who best represent their priorities, or occasionally by referendum. In contrast, the Islamic Republic of Iran is more influenced by Islam, regardless of what the majority of citizens might want: policy and law are based more on Islamic faith than on political ideology. Therefore, a legislative act to increase Internet access for Germans might seem like a step towards information illiteracy for an Iranian, especially if the sites that appear contradict the Qur’an or the Supreme Leader. It works the other way around, too: secular citizens often frown at the ways of religious governments.
Germany and other democracies consider information literacy one way (more along the ways described in this book); religious countries might view it in other ways. Even in so-called democracies, many individual citizens prefer faith as a guide than ‘information’, and would probably feel more literate in a country committed to its faith, as is the case in Iran.
Interview with a Saudi Arabian Government official: Abdullah Alsaif (translated by Nawaf Albetar)
Mr Alsaif works in the Al Down Prince Sultan office. Born in Riyadh, he grew up in Saudi Arabia and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in law from King Saud University, and an Associate’s degree in computer science from Prince Sultan University. Mr Alsaif comes from a family of government officials, including his father, who directly worked for King Abdulaziz.
‘I pursued a role in government because I wanted to be one of the people who make differences in my country.’ He explains that such differences revolve around being informed both inside Saudi Arabia and outside. ‘The Saudi Government is getting stronger because we are looking to the future. Moreover, I believe that they are doing everything necessary to secure their international relations; citizens’ safety and comfort are very important, too.’ According to him, such progress depends on solid information.
With his computer background, Mr Alsaif appreciates the technocracy movement in Saudi Arabia, but stresses the importance of critical thinking that must accompany it. ‘The technology is meaningless without the mind.’ He is very familiar with information literacy, both as process and as state, and defines it as ‘… how to obtain the useful parts from the information’s data, how to organize them, and represent them.’ He distinguishes ‘data’ from ‘information’, information being thought-refined data. He also distinguishes ‘knowledge’ and ‘meaning’; individuals can gain knowledge but need to apply their own interpretation of it to gain meaning. According to Mr Alsaif, an information literate person can recognize the stages of refining information in relation to his or her own awareness of and need for it. He believes the biggest obstacle to achieving information literacy is ‘knowing which resources are legitimate’, i.e. Analyze.
He routinely seeks primary (e.g. citizen records and colleague reports) and secondary information (e.g. articles and newspapers). However, he believes his main responsibility, and that of the Saudi Government, is to provide information to Saudi citizens. The information provided is not always direct, but the ultimate purpose is to facilitate information literacy. ‘However, if some of the citizens obtain important information they have the responsibility to provide it to the government.’
Mr Alsaif is an advocate of government-funded libraries; he sees them as the best conduit for a government and its citizens both to seek and to provide. ‘By offering libraries, also the government has more power to find the information and put them in the public places for the citizens.’ He believes libraries provide the best facilities, resources and personnel for information literacy initiatives at the government level.
He also thinks that technology and computers are invaluable: ‘The government needs to utilize them to provide information. Citizens need the training and access to locate the information.’ For him this includes all levels of government: ‘All information is important whether it’s local, regional or national; because obtaining a variety of information from the data is one of the priorities of government.’
Although he understands the need for increased access opportunities, he stresses that the biggest obstacle lies in determining authenticity. ‘Sometimes the information can be just an opinion or just a rumor, so we have to separate opinions from facts.’ In response to this, he thinks the skills necessary for Analyze will be paramount to future information literacy in Saudi Arabia: ‘… [we] must have the skill to analyze, evaluate and know which information is consistent’.
Issues
Access
Whether it can or will provide information depends on the government. Regardless of how one feels about it, the United States provides a lot of information access. Anyone can visit its websites and view primary documents, including the voting records of all elected representatives. Additionally, there are several media outlets available from where one can obtain secondary information because government officials routinely hold press conferences.
These are good practices that many industrialized nations offer. For those without the resources, however, it is more difficult to facilitate information literacy. This is a problem for developing countries, but also one for the poor within more affluent countries: not all Americans have the computers or skills to view the Web pages the United States provides. Again, UNESCO specifies that no sector should be alienated. All citizens must have access to information, along with all nations, for a global and information literate society.
Where does this leave governments? The United States is a so-called democracy, and its constitution requires that all citizens have equal rights. Practically, however, they do not have equal information literacy opportunity. Regardless of a citizen’s rights, his or her financial circumstances determine whether they can afford the tools necessary to exercise them. Should the government ensure that all citizens not only have the same rights, but also the same opportunities? One might argue that this is the advantage of socialism over free enterprise: in theory, not only are all citizens equal, but so is wealth distribution. But did the former Soviet Union provide equal opportunity for all citizens? How well was information literacy facilitated?
Culture also impacts access. Mr Singh shared how different citizens are in India, and how this impacts their information choices. Mortimer described how taboos prevented indigenous communities in Australia from communicating with certain types of people and accessing data. This created a huge obstacle towards not only motivating people to take advantage of access, but also teaching them how to effectively use the Internet to learn about government.2 Even if the government does ensure equal opportunity, what if citizens decide not to participate?
Voting
Voting is neither required nor denied in most countries that hold elections. Should this be the case? Arguably the reasons most people choose not to vote are because they do not like the candidates, are too lazy to go to the polls (or do not have reasonable geographic access to a voting area), or feel that they do not know enough about the candidates or issues to cast an informed vote. Those who do choose, however, sometimes know very little about the candidates or issues or are misinformed. The question becomes: Should all citizens be allowed to vote, even if they cannot do so for their best interests? Should an uninformed citizen be allowed to vote, or should they be required to demonstrate some level of information literacy (e.g. knowledge of candidate platforms, important contemporary issues)?
Disallowing a citizen’s privilege to vote smacks of elitism; however, are uninformed citizens who vote doing what is best for themselves and society? If such a requirement were put into place, then a huge divide could emerge between the information literate and illiterate. On the other hand, uninformed citizens voting against their own best interests also can cause divides. The free vote process may be democratic, but what about its consequences? Information literacy can help the voting process become an equalizer, but pursuing and attaining it are often daunting tasks.
Privacy
How much should government know about its citizens? There is a fine line between serving citizens and invading privacy. As an example, government officials want to determine where conflict arises in a particular region and why. They identify religion as a possible problem. In an attempt to quell the violence, they collect information about citizens and their faiths. With that information they believe they can bring together religious leaders and broker peace. The rationale seems logical, but questions arise: Who will have access to this information? What will be done with it after the resolution? Could it be used to persecute a citizen, if not now then possibly in the future?
A practical example of the above is provided by the United States and the Patriot Act. Initiated after the infamous 9/11 terrorist attacks, its purpose is to better protect Americans. However, it provides opportunities for such things as wire tapping and access to library records. Many worry that the information Located by certain individuals under the pretense of ‘homeland security’ could threaten the rights of individual citizens. A common response to such worries on the part of many Americans is: ‘If you’ve got nothing to hide then you’ve got nothing to worry about.’ That is not always true: it depends upon who has access to the information. Conscientious governments need information about their citizens to provide for them; however, diabolical governments could use the same information to violate citizens’ rights. Information literacy is an important state for a government and its citizens to achieve, but how much personal information is safe?
Tips
For the citizen
Understand your country’s constitution (if there is one). Read and connect its principles to the relationships between the government and the citizens.
Determine what type of government your country employs (e.g. democracy, theocracy, dictatorship), and its implications for information literacy.
Distinguish between local, regional and national government. Identify their departments (e.g. labor, education, health care). Do they facilitate information literacy? If so, then how? If not, then why?
Stay informed of current events and issues; connect these with government responses. Are they consistent with what you understand about the government? Determine why or why not.
Understand the political platforms of government officials and their opponents. Compare what they say about one issue with things they have said about other issues: is there consistent rationale? Granted, not all politicians completely follow their affiliation’s platform, but why do some stray?
1.Human Development Reports. http://hdr.undp.org/enlstatistics/ [accessed 25 September 2009].
2.Bruce, Christine, Candy, Philip C. & Klaus, Helmut (2000) Information Literacy Around the World: Advances in Programs and Research. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.