By Joyce O. Ajayi and Joseph Johns On Friday, September 8, 2023, Governor Sarah Sanders announced that a special session would begin at the Arkansas Capitol on Monday, September 11. In her announcement of the special session, the Governor hinted at potential amendments to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (AFOIA). She specifically mentioned a […]
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More Arkansas Counties Get on ‘Nice List’ for Web Transparency in 2019
By Caleb Taylor Who made the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics’s ‘nice list’ when it comes to transparency in 2019? You can find out through the just-released second annual Transparency Index from the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics, co-authored by ACRE Policy Analysts Dr. Mavuto Kalulu and Joyce Ajayi. In 2018 four counties […]
Should Pope County gamble with the transparency of its casino deliberations?
By Caleb Taylor ACRE Policy Analyst Dr. Mavuto Kalulu says no in an op-ed entitled “In public view,” published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on September 20th. A proposed casino in Pope County has generated much debate between residents and state and local officials in recent months. Arkansas voters approved Issue 4 in 2018, which allowed […]
How To Reduce Corruption in Arkansas
By Caleb Taylor How can Arkansas reduce government corruption? ACRE Policy Analyst Dr. Mavuto Kalulu discussed solutions to this question and four steps officials can take to improve transparency in an op-ed published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on August 5th. Kalulu begins by noting the size and scope of corruption at all levels of government […]
We asked all 75 counties for their budgets. Here’s what we found.
By Caleb Taylor How difficult is it to get a copy of a county budget in Arkansas? According to ACRE research published in an op-ed the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on February 15th, that depends on which of the 75 Arkansas counties you ask. Alexandria Tatem, a UCA Schedler Honor’s College student and an ACRE student worker […]
Let the Sunshine In: County Leaders Hear How to Improve Government Transparency
By Caleb Taylor How can Arkansas counties improve their online transparency? Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE) Policy Analyst Mavuto Kalulu and ACRE Program Coordinator Terra Aquia discussed this and the findings of a new Transparency Index at the County Judges 2018 Fall meeting on September 14th in North Little Rock. County Judges are […]