Swedish Transparency: A Long-standing Policy under Pressure

Sweden is the country with the oldest Freedom of Information law in the world. The Freedom of Information Act is a symbol of national pride and a fundamental pillar of the country’s integrity system. Yet, criticisms have been raised that Swedish transparency has been weakened in the last decades. For some observers, a weaker principle of openness is associated with legal, administrative and political developments such as the influence of New Public Management ideas and the country’s membership in the European Union. This paper examines the development of Swedish transparency in recent decades. It explores if and how the country’s transparency system has changed, either in its formal aspects or in its practice by administrative and political bodies. The paper identifies and analyzes relevant institutional changes in the formulation and implementation of the country’s freedom of information laws. The study is based on secondary sources, formal documents, media reports and interviews with key informants. The empirical analysis provides needed knowledge about the current quality of Swedish transparency and the scope and implications of recent institutional transformations. Theoretically, the paper contributes to the literature on institutional change. It offers valuable insights into how old policy reforms may evolve and long-standing policies may be weakened in connection with contextual developments that influence actors and institutions and elicit institutional change.