Transparency, as used in the humanities The humanities are academic disciplines which study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytic, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences and in a social In sociology, social action refers to an act which takes into account the actions and reactions of individuals . According to Max Weber, "an Action is 'social' if the acting individual takes account of the behavior of others and is thereby oriented in its course" (Secher 1962) context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the. It is a metaphorical extension of the meaning a "transparent In the field of optics, transparency is the physical property of allowing light to pass through a material; translucency (also called translucence or translucidity) only allows light to pass through diffusely. The opposite property is opacity. Transparent materials are clear, while translucent ones cannot be seen through clearly" object is one that can be seen through. Transparent procedures include open meetings, financial disclosure statements, the freedom of information legislation Freedom of information legislation are rules that guarantee access to data held by the state. They establish a "right-to-know" legal process by which requests may be made for government-held information, to be received freely or at minimal cost, barring standard exceptions. Also variously referred to as open records or sunshine laws,, budgetary review, audits The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and for energy conservation, etc.
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Uses
Banking
Banking transparency and disclosure of bank activities are suggested to prevent future banking crises[1], underground banking In modern societies the underground economy covers a vast array of activities. It is generally smaller in countries where economic freedom is greater, and becomes progressively larger in those areas where corruption, regulation, or legal monopolies restrict economic activity in various goods, services, or trading groups.[citation needed], unpublished accounts (clearstream It was created in January 2000 through the merger of Cedel International and Deutsche Börse Clearing, part of the Deutsche Börse Group, which owns the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Cedel, established in 1971, specialized in clearance and settlement. In 1996 it obtained a bank license. In July 2002 Deutsche Börse purchased the remaining 50% of)[2], money laundering In the past, the term "money laundering" was applied only to financial transactions related to organized crime. Today its definition is often expanded by government and international regulators such as the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to mean any financial transaction which generates an asset or a value as the result of, tax evasion Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the tax regime to one's own advantage, to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law. By contrast, tax evasion is the general term for efforts to not pay taxes by illegal means. The term tax mitigation is a synonym for tax avoidance. Its original use was by tax advisors as an, and other fraud[3]. Forcing banks to disclose more information about their lending and investment in deprived areas is suggested as part of the fight against financial exclusion[4]
Wages
In 2009, UK City minister Lord Myners proposed that the pay and identity of up to 20 of the highest-paid employees at companies should be disclosed.[5] In the UK, employees outside the boardroom are currently granted anonymity about their pay deals.[5] He also called for the pay of all employees to be banded in grades. In his interim report in July, David Walker suggested that Bankers pay levels should be disclosed in bands and that the number of staff falling in each band be included.[5]
However, it is unlikely in the UK that disclosure requirements will be made a legal requirement, with hopes being placed on recommendations being undertaken voluntarily.[5]
American banks currently must name their top five highest earners. Regulations in Hong Kong, require banks to list its top earners – without naming them – by pay band.[5]
In Norway, tax authorities annually release the “skatteliste,” or “tax list,”; official records showing the annual income and overall wealth of nearly every taxpayer.[6]
In 2009, the Spanish government for the first time released information on how much each cabinet member is worth, but data on ordinary citizens is still private.[6]
Corporate
Corporate transparency Corporate transparency is a form of radical transparency: The construct removing all barriers to —and facilitating of— free and easy public access to corporate, political and personal information and the laws, rules, social connivance and processes that facilitate and protect those individuals and corporations who freely join, develop and, a form of radical transparency Exceptions to full transparency typically include data related to personal privacy, security, and passwords or keys necessary for access required to carry out publicly negotiated decisions. Technical actions perceived to be controversial or political are considered to lack legitimacy until a clear, radically transparent decision has been made is the construct of removing all barriers to —and facilitating of— free and easy public access to corporate, political and personal information and the laws, rules, social connivance For example, if someone were to entice their spouse to commit adultery, they might be blocked from divorcing their spouse on grounds of that adultery and processes that facilitate and protect those individuals and corporations who freely join, develop and embellish the process[7].
Management
Radical transparency Exceptions to full transparency typically include data related to personal privacy, security, and passwords or keys necessary for access required to carry out publicly negotiated decisions. Technical actions perceived to be controversial or political are considered to lack legitimacy until a clear, radically transparent decision has been made is a management Management in all business areas and organizational activities are the acts of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives efficiently and effectively. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing method where nearly all decision making is carried out publicly. All draft documents, all arguments for and against a proposal, the decisions about the decision making process itself, and all final decisions, are made publicly and remain publicly archived.
Media
Media Transparency This is a specific case of the topic, Transparency . As used in the humanities, it implies openness and accountability. It is a metaphorical extension of the meaning used a “transparent” object is one that can be seen through is the concept of determining how and why information Information, in its most restricted technical sense, is an ordered sequence of symbols. As a concept, however, information has many meanings. Moreover, the concept of information is closely related to notions of constraint, communication, control, form, instruction, knowledge, meaning, mental stimulus, pattern, perception, and representation is conveyed through various means. If the media and the public knows everything that happens in all authorities and county administrations there will be a lot of questions, protests and suggestions coming from media and the public. People who are interested in a certain issue will try to influence the decisions. Transparency creates an everyday participation in the political processes by media and the public. One tool used to increase everyday participation in political processes is Freedom of Information Freedom of information legislation are rules that guarantee access to data held by the state. They establish a "right-to-know" legal process by which requests may be made for government-held information, to be received freely or at minimal cost, barring standard exceptions. Also variously referred to as open records or sunshine laws, legislation and requests. Modern democracy Democracy is a political form of government where governing power is derived from the people, either by direct referendum or by means of elected representatives of the people (representative democracy). The term comes from the Greek: δημοκρατία – (dēmokratía) "rule of the people", which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) & builds on such participation of the people and media. There are, for anybody who is interested, many ways to influence the decisions at all levels in society[8].
Politics
In politics transparency is introduced as a means of holding public officials An official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either his own or that of his superior and/or employer, public or legally private) accountable Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the and fighting corruption Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved. When government A government is the organization, or agency through which a political unit exercises its authority, controls and administers public policy, and directs and controls the actions of its members or subjects meetings are open to the press Mass media denotes a section of the media specifically designed to reach a large audience. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such as books and manuscripts had already been in use for centuries and the public Public is a word in the English language, either an adjective or a noun with these meanings:- "of or pertaining to the people; (adjective) "relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community"; opposed to "private"; (noun) "the people of a nation not affiliated with the government of that nation: the people", when budgets A budget is generally a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods. In other terms, a budget is an organizational plan stated in monetary terms and financial statements A financial statement is a formal record of the financial activities of a business, person, or other entity. In British English—including United Kingdom company law—a financial statement is often referred to as an account, although the term financial statement is also used, particularly by accountants may be reviewed by anyone, when laws Law is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. Laws can shape or reflect politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people, rules and decisions are open to discussion, they are seen as transparent and there is less opportunity for the authorities to abuse the system in their own interest[9].
In government A government is the organization, or agency through which a political unit exercises its authority, controls and administers public policy, and directs and controls the actions of its members or subjects, politics, ethics Ethics is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality — that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, justice, virtue, etc, business A business is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods or services, or both, to consumers, businesses and governmental entities. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies. Most businesses are privately owned. A business is typically formed to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its owners and grow the business, management Management in all business areas and organizational activities are the acts of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives efficiently and effectively. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing, law, economics Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek οἰκονομία from οἶκος (oikos, "house") + νόμος (nomos, "custom" or "law"), hence "rules of the house(hold)". Current economic, sociology Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social activity, often with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare. Subject matter, etc., transparency is the opposite of privacy Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively. The boundaries and content of what is considered private differ among cultures and individuals, but share basic common themes. Privacy is sometimes related to anonymity, the wish to remain unnoticed or; an activity is transparent if all information about it is open and freely available. Thus when courts of law admit the public, when fluctuating prices in financial markets are published in newspapers, those processes are transparent.
When military authorities classify Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular classes of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation. There are typically several levels of their plans as secret, transparency is absent. This can be seen as either positive or negative; positive, because it can increase national security National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the nation-state through the use of economic, military and political power and the exercise of diplomacy, negative, because it can lead to secrecy, corruption Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by private persons or corporations not directly involved and even a military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military. Like any dictatorship, a military dictatorship may be official or unofficial, and as a result may not actually qualify as stratocratic. Mixed forms also.
Research
Scholarly research Research can be defined as the search for knowledge or as any systematic investigation to establish facts. The primary purpose for applied research is discovering, interpreting, and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe. Research can use in any academic discipline Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. A scientific method consists of may also be labeled as (partly) transparent (or Open research Open research is research, conducted in the spirit of free and open source software. If the research is scientific in nature it is frequently referred to as open science; open research can also include social sciences and the humanities) if some or all relevant aspects of the research are open in the sense of Open source Open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology. Before the term open source became widely adopted, developers and producers used a variety of phrases to describe the concept; open source, Open Access In academic publishing, open access is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions access to literature and articles that have traditionally been published in scholarly journals. In e-learning, open access is free-to-use learning objects and resources. Open access is essentially the same thing as what in and Open Data,[10] thereby facilitating social recognition and accountability Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the of the scholars who did the research and replication Reproducibility is one of the main principles of the scientific method, and refers to the ability of a test or experiment to be accurately reproduced, or replicated, by someone else working independently by others interested in the matters addressed by it[11].
Sports
Sports A sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play, in which a winner can be defined by objective means. It is governed by a set of rules or customs. In a sport the key factors are the physical capabilities and skills of the competitor when determining the outcome . The physical has become a global business over the last decades, and here, too, initiatives ranging from doping tests to the fighting of sports-related corruption are gaining ground on the footsteps of transparency activities in other domains. [12]
Reading
While a liberal democracy Liberal democracy is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, the elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive. Political pluralism is usually defined as the presence of multiple and distinct political parties can be a plutocracy The word plutocracy is derived from the ancient Greek root ploutos, meaning wealth and kratos, meaning to rule or to govern, where decisions are taken behind locked doors and the people have very small possibilities to influence the politics between the elections, a participative democracy is more closely connected to the will of the people.
Participative democracy, built on transparency and everyday participation, has been used officially in northern Europe Europe is one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus region (Specification of borders) and the Black Sea to the southeast. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean and for decades. (In the northern European country Sweden, public access to government documents became a law as early as 1766.) It has officially been adopted as an ideal to strive for by the rest of EU.
Many countries in the world still have older forms of democracy, or other forms of government.
Some organizations and networks, for example, the GNU/Linux community and Indymedia, insist that not only the ordinary information of interest to the community is made freely available, but that all (or nearly all) meta-levels of organizing and decision-making are themselves also published. This is known as radical transparency.
- To promote transparency in politics, Hans Peter Martin, Paul van Buitenen (Europa Transparant) and Ashley Mote decided to cooperate under the name Platform for Transparency (PfT) in 2005.
- A similar organization that promotes transparency is Transparency International.
See also
- Accountability
- Accountability in the European Union
- Comitology
- Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (or EITI)
- Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006
- Freedom of information
- Front organization
- Glasnost
- Lobbying
- Market transparency
- Media transparency
- Open science
- Open society
- Political corruption
- Regulation Fair Disclosure (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation)
- Right to Information Act
- Singapore issues
- SourceWatch
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Transparent Society (David Brin)
- Transparency (Guatemala)
- Transparency (social)
- Transparent government
- Whitewash
- Public record
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Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:42:58 GMT+00:00
Times of India Another convention that was flouted was one which demanded that if the VC was from the humanities , the pro-VC should be from other faculties and vice-versa. ...
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the EU Commission prevails with its Transparency Initiative however lobbyists will no longer walk in dark corridors in the future but in the bright light of public attention Ulysses S Grant
