"The public is part of the audience": Information access for citizens, democratic accountability, and climate change science

Abstract

Information access has been identified by several scholars as an important research area within information science; with intellectual, physical, and social components, genuine access to information can be difficult to secure. According to the theory of democratic accountability, information access is particularly important for citizens in a democracy, who must have access to public policy information—and the information that informs policy decisions—in order to hold their elected officials accountable. This research conducted two case studies into the accessibility of climate change research utilizing qualitative semi-structured interviews. Respondents indicated that citizens’ intellectual, physical, and social access to the information in question was curtailed, thereby hindering their ability to practice democratic accountability. This research extends previous work done in information access and scientific research and demonstrates a need for further investigation into citizens’ access to government and scientific information.