Professional paper
Information Administrative Law – A Delineation of the Subject
Alen Rajko
; Head of the Office for Administrative Development, Town of Opatija, Croatia
Abstract
The possibilities and challenges of the information and communication technology development, continuously spreading awareness of the importance of transparent public sector functioning, consolidation of democratic institutions, and a set of phenomena encompassed by the expression information society are among the main factors of the ever-increasing importance of information in the public sphere, administrative functioning included. These changes are followed by legal regulation and doctrine. The right to information is important not only for the preservation and development of democratic order via easier public supervision and greater accountability of public authorities, but also for well-informed decision-making. The essence is not in the themes like Watergate, no matter how important their impact is, but in rather unglamorous »making rounds of officials« and solving everyday problems. The right to information protection is equally important for exercising numerous basic rights, primarily those related to privacy. State and public administrations not only have to use information and communication technology to fulfil their tasks, but also have a new function within information society – they are obliged to supply the society with reliable, high-quality information. Along with the problem of violence and poverty, ignorance is the main problem of social organisation that requires involvement of the state. Different approaches to defining the terms information, information society, e- -government, etc. are presented. Various fields of law that deal with information are outlined. By applying organisational-functional, material and procedural legal criteria, the subject of information administrative law is filtered. Information administrative law is a set of legal rules regulating access to public sector information, protection of personal data, protection of classified information, records management, and external and internal communications of public administration. Generally speaking (without subsidiarity in defining), information administrative law is a set of legal rules regulating information management by public administration or with its participation.
Keywords
information administrative law; information; public administration; information society
Hrčak ID:
135543
URI
Publication date:
2.3.2009.
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