What factors influence the quality of local governments' digital transparency? Evidence from the Brazilian case

Abstract

This article investigates the factors associated with the quality of transparency of the websites of Brazilian local governments. We also question the extent to which external control institutions have pressured municipal governments to improve their online transparency. Through multiple regression models, we discuss whether and how socio-demographic, political, and economic variables are relevant to explain the differences in e-transparency in 5,563 cities. The results show that, despite an institutionalization process of public transparency led by federal regulatory evolution, experiences at the local level remain heterogeneous. Population size, GDP per capita, education levels, and voter turnout are statistically important to explain the quality of e-transparency experiences. The main conclusion is that external regulators play a crucial role in shaping digital transparency due to the possibility of imposing legal penalties. Effective use of digital media to foster democratic practices involves pressure from external monitoring agencies willing to challenge a bureaucratic culture resistant to openness.

Monitoramento das eleições brasileiras de 2022: affordances das plataformas YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter e Facebook e os usos em campanhas digitais

“…A prática de postagens de conteúdos de cunho político e eleitoral na internet não é algo propriamente novo no campo das pesquisas sociais e políticas. Pelo menos, desde finais da década de 2000 e início da de 2010, observa-se, entre os efeitos da difusão dos smartphones, das mídias sociais e das big techs, diversos e crescentes usos políticos da rede, como a ampliação do debate político (Maia et al, 2015;Gomes, 2018), a realização de campanhas eleitorais digitais (Braga;Carlomagno, 2018;Bachini et al 2022), o exercício de práticas de transparência e accountability (Herman et al, 2022) e novas formas de ação coletiva (Albuquerque, 2015;Bachini, 2018).…”