To know is to act? Revisiting the impact of government transparency on corruption

IF 2.6 3区管理学 Q2 DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

Public Administration and Development Pub Date : 2023-09-26 DOI:10.1002/pad.2029

Sabina Schnell

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Abstract Transparency is expected to reduce corruption by enabling the public to uncover it and thus hold officials accountable. This assumes citizens care about corruption and have mechanisms for enacting accountability. Yet, paradoxically, transparency has been prescribed as a cure against corruption precisely in contexts where such mechanisms are weak. This article integrates research from different disciplines to better understand when and how transparency reduces corruption. It finds that citizens do react to information about corruption even in countries with weak institutions and wide‐spread corruption, especially if the information is widely shared, corruption is a salient issue, and there are some expectations of sanctions for malfeasance. Furthermore, even partial compliance with transparency policies can make a difference. More research should explore when and why bureaucrats comply with accountability pressures from above and below, how expectations about sanctions are formed and lead to ‘indignation rather than resignation,’ as well what the systemic effects of transparency policies are and how they evolve over time.

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知道就是行动?重新审视政府透明度对腐败的影响

透明度被期望通过使公众能够发现腐败，从而使官员承担责任，从而减少腐败。这假定公民关心腐败，并有制定问责制的机制。然而，矛盾的是，透明度恰恰是在这种机制薄弱的情况下被规定为打击腐败的良方。本文整合了不同学科的研究，以更好地理解透明度何时以及如何减少腐败。报告发现，即使在制度薄弱、腐败现象普遍的国家，公民也会对腐败信息做出反应，特别是在信息广泛共享的情况下，腐败是一个突出问题，人们期望对渎职行为进行制裁。此外，即使部分遵守透明度政策也会产生影响。更多的研究应该探讨官僚何时以及为什么会遵守来自上下的问责压力，对制裁的预期是如何形成的，并导致“愤怒而不是辞职”，以及透明度政策的系统性影响是什么，以及它们如何随着时间的推移而演变。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Public Administration and Development Social Sciences-Development

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

12.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Since its founding in 1949, Public Administration and Development (PAD) has been reviewing and assessing the practice of public administration at the local, regional, national and international levels where it is directed to managing development processes in low and medium income countries. It gives special attention to investigations of the management of all phases of public policy formulation and implementation which have an interest and importance beyond a particular government and state. PAD has a particular interest in the link between public administration practice and management research and provides a professional and academic forum for reporting on new experiences and experiments. PAD also publishes articles on development management research in the NGO sector. It is widely read by academics and practitioners alike, including consultants, donors and policy advisers. With its case study approach, it is also frequently used for teaching and training purposes.