Access to information in polycentric governance

For Vincent Ostrom access to information was a self-evident condition for realisation of polycentric governance. The analytical framework that supports this Volume positions access to information as a polycentric prerequisite, explaining more explicitly why it is a necessary condition for the achievement of institutional essentials that characterize polycentric systems. Whilst the literature on polycentric governance makes references to the relevance of access to information, a more in-depth analysis is lacking. Often information exchanges are only portrayed in passing when looking at polycentric governance systems such as in regulatory networks or capital markets. This chapter seeks to remedy this gap by offering observations on the role, requirements and effects of access to information as a polycentric prerequisite generally and for polycentric governance in the EU specifically.