Uncovering the Environment: The Use of Public Access to Environmental Information
The School of Social Sciences at the University of Dundee is conducting research on the right of access to environmental information and how citizens and non-governmental organisations utilise their right to obtain environmental information from Scottish public authorities. This project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, and is in collaboration with the Scottish Information Commissioner, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
The objectives of this project are:
- To identify the aims of the laws and the place of regimes governing access to environmental information in governance
- Discover how, and to what extent, citizens and non-governmental organisations use the right of access to environmental information and the environmental information obtained from Scottish public authorities
- Assess the impact that providing access to environmental information has had in promoting better governance and deliberative democracy.
In order to explore how the right of access to environmental information is being utilised in Scotland, the research team will analyse statistical data provided by our partners. In addition to this, the team will administer a survey to those have have sought access to environmental information from public authorities and conduct follow up interviews.
If you are interested in participating in this study by taking part in an interactive workshop hosted at the University of Dundee, please click the “How to Participate” heading or email the research team at p.dragneva@dundee.ac.uk.