Transparency of Local Public Administration: An Analysis of Online Information and Services Offered by Municipalities
摘要
Local public administrations from Romania have been going through profound transformations for several years, in an attempt to reduce bureaucracy and provide better services for citizens. The issue of social responsibility, more frequently encountered in the corporate environment, began to be discussed more and more often in the Romanian public administration. The population demands transparency in decision-making process of local public authorities, efficiency in public funds spending, quality, and easily accessible services. Local public administrations have responded to these requests by transforming the way they provide their services. A citizen-oriented public administration involves the provision of online services, the publication on websites of decisions adopted and/or under public consultation, the publication of employment notices, but also other useful information for citizens. Using ITC technologies, it is possible to ensure and verify compliance with the principle of transparency in the local public administration. To analyze the degree of transparency of local public authorities, an evaluation methodology was deployed and a study was carried out on 48 county seat municipalities in Romania, to which Bucharest municipality and the six component sectors are added. The data was extracted from the websites of the municipalities and points were given for each criterion included in the methodology created. An aggregate score was calculated for each public authority included in the study. The results obtained are useful for decision-makers in the local public administration, but also for citizens, who can comparatively appreciate the degree of social responsibility of the local public authority.