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

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.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Herman,Fellipe, Marques,Francisco Paulo Jamil, Miola,Edna
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Centro de Estudos de Opinião Pública da Universidade Estadual de Campinas 2022
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-62762022000300857
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