Accountability and Transparency: Cornerstones of Development and Democratic Governance

Mudacumura, Gedeon M.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-03143-9_3

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…(c) Accountability and Behavioral Issues: Accountability and organizational culture are essential for effective governance, and cybersecurity is no exception. In local governments, where multiple stakeholders collaborate, accountability lines often blur, leading to vulnerabilities and potential breaches [132,133]. Cybersecurity in local governments faces behavioral challenges, such as reactive protocols adopted after incidents and a lack of collaboration within departments [13,77,130].…”

Section: Challenges and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Government Cybersecurity Landscape: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework

Hossain,

Yigitcanlar,

Nguyen

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

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Local governments face critical challenges in the era of digital transformation, balancing the responsibility of safeguarding resident information and administrative documents while maintaining data integrity and public trust. These responsibilities become even more critical as they transition into smart cities adopting advanced technological innovations to revolutionize governance, enhance service delivery, and foster sustainable and resilient urban environments. Technological advancements like Internet-of-Things devices and artificial intelligence-driven approaches can provide better services to residents, but they also expose local governments to cyberthreats. There has been, nonetheless, very little study on cybersecurity issues from the local government perspective, and information on the multifaceted nature of cybersecurity in local government settings is scattered and fragmented, highlighting the need for a conceptual understanding and adequate action. Against this backdrop, this study aims to identify key components of cybersecurity in a local governmental context through a systematic literature review. This review further extends to the development of a conceptual framework providing a comprehensive understanding of the local government’s cybersecurity landscape. This study makes a significant contribution to the academic and professional domains of cybersecurity issues and policies within the local governmental context, offering valuable insights to local decision-makers, practitioners, and academics. This study also helps identify vulnerabilities, enabling stakeholders to recognize shortcomings in their cybersecurity and implement effective countermeasures to safeguard confidential information and documents. Thus, the findings inform local government policy to become more cybersecurity-aware and prepared.

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Section: Challenges and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Government Cybersecurity Landscape: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework

Hossain,

Yigitcanlar,

Nguyen

et al. 2024

Applied Sciences

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“…This systemic perspective has been analytically under-explored, leaving a critical gap between the narrative and operational levels of transparency and accountability unabridged. Mudacumura (2014), for example, exemplifies the confusion regarding this systemic conceptual (im-)precision, discussing the uncertainty regarding the expected path from transparency to greater accountability, or if the opposite is the case (as in Meijer, 2014). Cucciniello et al (2017) also show an extensive metaanalysis that displays mixed results in the transparency-accountability relation, stating that "accountability is often viewed as an intervening construct in the relationship between transparency and corruption" (p.9), nevertheless independent in the analytical sense and often misconstrued through misunderstandings of the conceptual or empirical directionality.…”

Section: Transparency As Accounting Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining Transparency: A Functional Approach

Cruz Romero

2023

JeDEM

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Transparency is a fuzzy concept within the governance literature; it is commonly linked, through blurry categorisations, to other concepts in the political science and public administration scholarship, such as accountability and corruption. This reflection piece seeks to tackle this blurriness and advance the concept’s analytical precision by presenting and discussing transparency’s main dimensions, as well as its framing within the scholarly body of good governance, democracy, and development. To do so, the reflection paper presents a novel approach; to define transparency in the form of a function (which places transparency in relation to, and as a function) of its two constituting dimensions: a) information (timely and qualitative), and b) accountability mechanisms (namely, a free media environment and legitimate accountability channels). Reviewing a sample of relevant and influential works in the broad field of transparency, these two dimensions are analysed highlighting the common analytical factors found in the scholarship, pointing towards potential applications of the novel functional approach framework. The focus is placed on the distinct institutional and contextual levels, addressing the various analytical determinants of transparency. In doing so, the reflection presents and discusses some prospective research hypotheses, marking the road for future theoretical and empirical research, as well as policy implications.

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