Table 1 Coding system Coding category... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1

Coding system

Coding category	Category	Definition	Coding indicators	Example content
General information about FOI	Inductive	General references to the FOI law without describing concrete implementation or procedures	Explanation of the law, reference to its entry into force, general statements about transparency obligations	“The Freedom of Information Act (IFG) will enter into force on September 1, 2025 and aims to increase transparency in public administration.”
Active Transparency	Deductive	Statements describing proactive disclosure practices and the publication of information without a request	Lists of documents that will be published, references to publicly available reports, description of proactive publication obligations	“The following information will be proactively published on our website in accordance with the IFG: reports, contracts, and statistics.”
Passive Transparency	Deductive	Statements explaining how organizations respond to information requests from citizens	Description of request procedures, dedicated FOI contact channels (e.g. email or forms), instructions for submitting requests	“Requests for information under the IFG can be submitted via the following email address.”
Inclusion in data protection	Inductive	Statements linking FOI obligations to data protection regulations and privacy considerations	References to GDPR, data protection laws, explanations of how personal data will be handled in FOI requests	“When responding to IFG requests, personal data will be processed in accordance with GDPR requirements.”

Coding category	Category	Definition	Coding indicators	Example content
General information about FOI	Inductive	General references to the FOI law without describing concrete implementation or procedures	Explanation of the law, reference to its entry into force, general statements about transparency obligations	“The Freedom of Information Act (IFG) will enter into force on September 1, 2025 and aims to increase transparency in public administration.”
Active Transparency	Deductive	Statements describing proactive disclosure practices and the publication of information without a request	Lists of documents that will be published, references to publicly available reports, description of proactive publication obligations	“The following information will be proactively published on our website in accordance with the IFG: reports, contracts, and statistics.”
Passive Transparency	Deductive	Statements explaining how organizations respond to information requests from citizens	Description of request procedures, dedicated FOI contact channels (e.g. email or forms), instructions for submitting requests	“Requests for information under the IFG can be submitted via the following email address.”
Inclusion in data protection	Inductive	Statements linking FOI obligations to data protection regulations and privacy considerations	References to GDPR, data protection laws, explanations of how personal data will be handled in FOI requests	“When responding to IFG requests, personal data will be processed in accordance with GDPR requirements.”

Source(s): Authors' own work