Introduction: Government secrecy

Maret, Susan

doi:10.1108/s0196-1152(2011)0000019003

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Until the emergence of democracy in Africa, societies were believed to have been socialized on the notion of secrecy to the extent that the principle of freedom of information are stifled in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular (Otenyo and Lind, 2004). African governments turned to be much secretive in their governance practices meanwhile Maret (2011) posits that government secrecy is antithetical to transparency and an affront to the citizens’ right to information and participation in the policy space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Democracy and financial transparency of local governments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Krah

Mertens

2020

MEDAR

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Purpose The study aims at examining the level of financial transparency of local governments in a sub-Saharan African country and how financial transparency is affected by democracy in the sub-region. Design/methodology/approach The study applied a panel regression model to data collected from public accounts of 43 local authorities in Ghana from 1995 to 2014. Financial transparency was measured using a transparency index developed based on the Transparency Index of Transparency International and the information disclosure requirements of public sector entities under the International Public Sector Accounting Standards. Findings The study finds the low level of financial transparency among the local governments in Ghana, creating information asymmetry within the agency framework of governance. Further, evidence from the study suggests a strong positive relationship between democracy and financial transparency in the local government. Research limitations/implications Deepening democracy is necessary for promoting the culture of financial transparency in local governance in sub-Saharan Africa, perhaps in entire Africa. Practical implications There is a need for the local governments and governments, in general, to deepen democracy to ensure proactive disclosure of the financial information to the citizens to improve participation trust and eventual reduction in corruption. Effective implementation of the Right to Information Act would also help promote financial and other forms of transparency in the sub-region. Originality/value The study contributes to the public sector accounting literature by linking democracy to financial transparency in the local government. Hitherto, studies concentrate on how entity level variables impact on the level of financial information flow in the local government without considering the broader governance infrastructure within which local governments operate.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Democracy and financial transparency of local governments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Krah

Mertens

2020

MEDAR

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“…64 Goldman and Maret,Intelligence and Information Policy,[505][506]. Also see a previous work by Maret (2011). 65 See also Maret, "Introduction."…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

State Secrecy: A Literature Review

Lefebvre

2021

Secrecy and Society

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What is secrecy? What is a state secret? Which state secrets deserve protection from disclosures? How are state secrets protected from disclosure? In this review, I use these questions as an organizing framework to review the richness of a very disparate, largely US-centric, but also multidisciplinary literature. In doing so, I highlight the social nature of secrecy-that it is a social construct with social effects and consequences-and the need for further research to unveil those rationalities that specific discourses on state secrecy put forward to legitimize the nondisclosure of state secrets.

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Staking Out Secrecy

2020

Negative Exposures

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Introduction: Government secrecy

Cited by 12 publications

References 29 publications

Democracy and financial transparency of local governments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Democracy and financial transparency of local governments in Sub-Saharan Africa

State Secrecy: A Literature Review

Staking Out Secrecy

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