Uncovering governmental transparency in federative states: diverse government spheres, heterogeneous outcomes

Abstract

This study aims to problematize the issue of government transparency in federative states. As the Brazilian case is analyzed, it also approaches the question of territorial heterogeneity and its effects. Methodology consisted of comparative analysis of the transparency indexes among the three different spheres of government: municipalities, states and central government. Observation of 125 public administration websites reveals that the more limited the sphere of government, the lower the level of transparency is. In other words, Brazilian central government is more transparent than the state ones, and these, in turn, are more transparent than the municipal governments. These differences do not corroborate the maxim employed by supporters of the federalism that local governments tend to establish closer relations with citizens. Furthermore, integrated action among all the government spheres may be recommendable to obtain better transparency outcomes.