E-government-enabled transparency: The effect of electoral aspects and citizen’s access to Internet on information disclosure

Abstract

Recent literature on transparency claims that e-government-enabled transparency through websites may be conditioned by political and social factors. Being more transparent while conducting its activities and political responsibilities has been the response of governments to citizens' demand for access to public information. This paper analyzes if political and social conditions influence transparency in Portuguese municipalities. The results show that political ideology, electoral turnout, proximity of elections, citizens' access to Internet and geographic location influence municipalities' transparency. The analyses are based on panel data from all 308 Portuguese municipalities.

Impact of demographic, political and financial factors on municipal transparency: a dynamic panel approach

“…Several studies have examined the early rankings of Portuguese municipalities using the above referenced MTI including Batalha (2014), Tejedo-Romero and Ara ujo (2020) and Tavares and Da Cruz (2020), with some conflicting results and different methodologies. This article strives to resolve some of these earlier discrepancies, by analysing and furthering the understanding of the potential determinants of local transparency over a longer period of time (2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017).…”

Determinants of Fiscal Transparency and Right to Information Reforms: A Study of Provincial Governments in Argentina

“…In recent years, the neo-institutional theory has also been applied to explain the adoption of transparency reforms (Pina et al, 2010;Rodríguez Bolívar et al, 2013;Tejedo-Romero & Araujo, 2020). According to this theory, organizations respond to external pressures by adopting socially acceptable practices (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983).…”

“…Moreover, as internet access increases and more industries adopt new technologies, citizens will come to expect digital services similar to those offered by private firms (Pina et al, 2007). Neo-institutional theory suggests that this expectation will lead to more "bottom-up" pressure for disclosure and stronger RTI laws (Tejedo-Romero & Araujo, 2020). On the other hand, from the government's perspective, the internet makes public information more accessible, visible, and easier to disseminate, thereby fostering transparency (Debreceny et al, 2002).…”

“…The empirical evidence suggests a positive and significant relationship between citizens' access to internet and transparency (Debreceny et al, 2002;Gandía & Archidona, 2008;Caba Pérez et al, 2008;García-Tabuyo et al, 2015;Ortiz-Rodríguez et al, 2018;Tejedo-Romero & Araujo, 2020;Shin et al, 2020). For instance, Caba Pérez et al (2008) studied the relationship between access to the internet in households and online fiscal transparency in Spanish municipalities.…”

“…It represents the electoral margin of victory, measured by the difference between the percentage of votes cast for the winning candidate and the second-place candidate. Several studies employ margins of victory to determine the level of electoral competitiveness & Araujo, 2020). In this case, the measure captures the average margins of victory in the last four gubernatorial elections, held between 2003 and 2017.…”