Access to public information in Latin America

This chapter analyses legal, institutional and policy frameworks for access to public information in Latin America. After introducing key concepts such as Public Sector Information (PSI), open data and big data, the chapter presents the results of the OECD Regional Survey on Open Government in Latin America looking at the institutions responsible for disclosing information, exemptions limiting access to information as well as the functions and benefits of centralised, sectoral and ministry information portals in eleven Latin American countries. The chapter emphasises that “freedom of information” laws are widespread in Latin America. However, it also underlines that these laws often lack effective implementation.