@article{rocha2026measuring,
  title = {Measuring Municipal Transparency in the European Union: A Qualitative Analysis of Transparency Indices},
  author = {Cristina ROCHA and Sandra CUNHA},
  year = 2026,
  url = {https://ibimapublishing.com/articles/JAST/2026/308610/},
  journal = {Journal of Administrative Sciences and Technology},
  volume = 2026,
  pages = 5,
  doi = doi.org/10.5171/2026.308610,
  abstract = {Transparency is a fundamental principle of contemporary public governance, contributing to accountability, citizen participation, and the strengthening of trust in public institutions. Despite its growing relevance in local governments, there remains a void of comparative studies on the instruments used to assess municipal transparency in the different Member States of the European Union (EU). This gap hinders comparisons between local governments, limits the identification of good practices, and restricts the development of harmonized evaluation models.
In this context, the present study aims to identify the tools for measuring municipal transparency in EU Member States with representation from Transparency International and to determine whether a common index for assessing local government transparency exists across the European Union. To this study, a qualitative approach, of an exploratory and descriptive nature, was adopted, based on a comparative analysis of the transparency assessment instruments existing in EU countries with representation from Transparency International.
The results reveal heterogeneity in municipal transparency assessment practices. Although 23 of the 27 Member States have representation from Transparency International, only ten have specific instruments for assessing transparency at the local level. There are also significant differences in territorial coverage and the frequency of assessments. It was concluded that there is currently no common model for evaluating the transparency of local governments in the EU. This fragmentation makes it difficult to compare municipalities and highlights the need to develop common evaluation models that promote the sharing of good practices and the improvement of local governance.},
  keywords = {Transparency; Municipal Transparency Index; Municipalities; Local Governments},
  note = Article ID: 308610
}