Transparency and accountability are often considered the cornerstones of effective governance and democratic ideals, whereby public access to government is touted as a powerful tool for empowering citizens, fostering trust, and combating corruption. However, the path to meaningful accountability is neither straightforward nor without its pitfalls. Justin H. Kirkland and Jeffery J. Harden's book The Illusion of Accountability: Transparency and Representation in American Legislatures takes on this puzzle and provides the most in-depth look to date at the development of open-meeting laws in state legislatures and the consequences these have for policy outcomes, public opinion, and democracy as a whole. The authors provide a nuanced theoretical framework and rigorous empirical approach to questioning the causes and consequences of transparency and, in doing so, show that transparency does not necessarily enhance accountability or representation in American legislatures.

The book is divided into two main sections. The first section explores the institutional components of open-meeting laws, including their history, measurement, adoption, and impact on legislative operations. Chapter 2 examines the history of open-meeting laws and scholarship, framing the discourse around the assumed benefits of transparency and highlighting its role in democratic theory