On August 1 - 7, 2014, the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) and the Institut du Monde et du Développement pour la Bonne Gouvernance Publique (IMODEV) will organize a panel at the SEALS Annual meeting which will be held at Amelia Island, FL.

In recent decades, governments have tried to become more open and transparent. Governments have adopted open records laws and open meetings laws all designed to promote openness and transparency. However, the revelations by Edward Snowden of a secret governmental surveillance program raises questions about how much transparency can or should exist in modern societies. Participants in this discussion group will examine governmental openness and transparency from a number of perspectives.