Abstract
This research aims to analyze how open innovation in Italian public organizations supports transparency in communicating entrepreneurial and innovative initiatives and how this practice reflects on the communities’ quality of life. As open government approach is based on the principles of transparency, in terms of participation, collaboration and accountability, this study examines particularly the transparency as an appropriate communication process devoted to citizens, in which the stakeholders’ involvement is critical to identify their economic and social needs and, at the same time, to define priorities for promoting local development.
This study is based on a statistical descriptive analysis carried out on a sample of Italian public municipalities located in different geographical areas in order to identify what constitutes good communication practices in the public sector, in compliance with the Italian law. We complete the analysis with an exploratory case study, which represents a good example of open administration in communicating entrepreneurial initiatives in a transparent way.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Borgonovi, E. (2001). Il Concetto di Valore Pubblico. Azienda Pubblica, 14(2/3), 183–188.
Borgonovi, E., & Valotti, G. (2009). Riforme istituzionali e management: Un’alleanza per il cambiamento. Azienda Pubblica, 22(3), 403–407.
Broadbent, J., Guthrie, J. (1992). Changes in the public sector: A review of recent “alternative” accounting research. Accounting Auditing & Accountability Journal, 5(2), 3–31.
Busacca, B., Castaldo, S., et al. (2005). Trust as market-based resource: Economic value, antecedents and consequences. In K. M. Bijlsma-Frankema (Ed.), Trust under pressure: Empirical investigations of the functioning of trust and trust building in uncertain circumstances. London: Edward Elgar.
Cardillo, E. (2008). I presupposti scientifici e culturali dei percorsi di social accounting nel settore pubblico. Torino: Giappichelli.
Caron, D. J., & Hunt, T. D. (2006). Accountability and disclosure: The proper use of transparency instruments and their implications for Canadian public administration. IN SCIENCES, I. I. O. A. Ed. Third Regional International Conference: Transparency for Better Governance. Monterrey.
Clarkson, M. (2000). A stakeholder framework for analyzing and evaluating corporate social performance. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 92–117.
Compass of transparency. Retrieved from www.magellanopa.it/bussola
Cotterrell, R. (2000). Transparency, mass media, ideology and community. Cultural Values, 3, 414–426. retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1080/14797589909367176.
Curtin, D., & Meijer, A. J. (2006). Does transparency strengthen legitimacy? Information Polity, 11(2), 109–123.
Donaldson, T., & Preston, L. E. (1995). The stakeholder theory of the corporation: Concepts, evidence, and implications. Academy of Management Review, 20, 65–91.
Dubnick, M. (1998). In C. Sampford & N. Preston (Eds.), Clarifying accountability an ethical theory framework. London: Public Sector Ethics.
Fairbanks, J., Plowman, K. D., & Rawlins, B. L. (2007). Transparency in government communication. Journal of Public Affairs, 7(1), 23–37.
Finel, B. I., & Lord, K. M. (1999). The surprising logic of transparency, International Studies City Government Transparency, 11.
Freeman, R. E. (1984). Stakeholder management: A strategic approach. Boston: Pitman.
Gagne, R. L. (1996). Accountability and public administration, Canadian Public Administrative, n. 39.
Gelders, D., & Ihlen, O. (2010a). Government communication about potential policies: Public relations, propaganda or both? Public Relations Review, 36(1), 59–62.
Gelders, D., & Ihlen, O. (2010b). Mapping the gap: Applying a service marketing model into government policy communications. Government Communication Quarterly, 27(1), 34–40.
Ghezzi, M. (2005). I nuovi strumenti di rendicontazione degli enti locali: Il Bilancio Sociale per i piccoli comuni. Bergamo: Editrice CEL.
Goleman, D. (2009). Trasparenza. Verso una Nuova Economia dell’Onestà. Milano: Rizzoli.
Gray, R., Owen, D., & Adams, C. (1996). Accounting and accountability: Changes and challenges in corporate and social reporting. London: Prentice Hall.
Grimmelikhuijsen, S. G., & Welch, E. W. (2012). Developing and testing a theoretical framework for computer-mediated transparency of local governments. Public Administration Review, 72(4), 562–571. July/August.
Grimmelikhujsen, S. G., & Meijer, A. (2014). Effects of transparency on the perceived trustworthiness of a government organization: Evidence from an online experiment. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 1, 137–157.
Grimmelikhujsen, S., Porumbesco, G., Hong, B., & Tobin, I. (2013). The effect of Transparency on Trust in Government: A cross-national comparative experiment. Public Administration Review, 73(4), 575–586.
Guarini, E. (2000). L’informativa esterna sui risultati negli Enti Lovali: Contributi teorici ed evidenze empiriche in alcuni Paesi. In E. Caperchione, F. Pezzani, Responsabilità e trasparenza nella gestione dell’ente locale, Egea, Milano.
Hazell, R., & Worthy, B. (2010). Assessing the performance of freedom of information. Government Information Quarterly, 27(4), 352–359.
Heise, J. A. (1985). Toward closing the confidence gap: An alternative approach to communication between public and government. Public Affairs Quarterly, 9(2), 196–217.
Jones, G. W. (1992). The search for local accountability. In S. Leach (Ed.), Strengthening local government in the 1990s. London.
Kolstad, A., & Wiig, A. (2009). Is transparency the key to reducing corruption in resource-roch countries? World Development, 37(3), 521–532.
Lee, P. A. (2007). Flack and hacks: Transparency and trust in the UK. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 22(2–3), 231–235.
Magnini, B., Not, E., Stock, O., & Strapparana, C. (2000). Natural language processing for transparent communication between public administration and citizens. Artificial Intelligence and Law, 8, 1–34. Kluver Academic Publishers, Netherlands.
Manfredi, F. (2000). Aziende non profit. L’approccio multistakeholder e la costruzione della mappa di interessi. In F. Manfredi & G. Maino (Eds.), Aziende non profit. Il governo e la comunicazione della qualità. Milano: Egea.
Martinson, D. L. (1996). “Truthfulness” in communication is both a reasonable and achievable goal for public relations practitioners. Public Relations Quarterly, 41(42–45).
McIntosh, M., Leipziger, D., Jones, K., & Coleman, G. (1998). Corporate citizenship: Successful strategies for responsible companies. Pitman: Financial Time.
Meijer, A. J. (2012). The do it yourself state: The future of participatory democracy. Information Polity, 17(3/4), 303–314.
Mohd-Nordin, R., Takim, R., Nawawi, A. H. (2012). Transparency Initiatives (TI) in construction: The social psychology of human behaviours. ASEAN Conference on Environment-Behaviour Studies. Bangkok: Elsevier.
Moore, M. H. (2003). La creazione di valore pubblico. La gestione strategica nella pubblica amministrazione, Collana SSAA, Guerini e Associati.
Mulgan, R. (2000). Accountability: an ever-expanding concept? In Public Administration, 78(3), Oxford.
Mussari, R. (2011). Economia delle amministrazioni pubbliche. Milano: McGraw-Hill.
Nisio A., De Carolis R., Losurdo S. (2012). Il ciclo della perfomance negli Enti Locali: un’analisi empirica sull’adozione del piano della performance. Management Control, 2.
Otenyo, E. E., & Lind, N. S. (2004). Faces and phases of transparency reform in local government. International Journal of Public Administration, 27(5), 287–307.
Pasquier, M., & Villeneuve, J. P. (2007). Organizational barriers to transparency: A typology and analysis or organizational behaviour tending to prevent or restrict access to information. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 73(1), 147–162.
Perrone, P. (2004). La Responsabilità Sociale degli Enti Locali e la Comunicazione dei Risultati, Azienda Pubblica, n.2, Maggioli, Rimini.
Peters, B. G. (1995). The politics of bureaucracy, Longman.
Pezzani, F. (2003). L’Accountability delle amministrazioni pubbliche. Milano: Egea.
Piotrowski, S. J. (2007). Governmental transparency in the path of administrative reform. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Piotrowski, S. J. (2009). Is transparency sustainable? Public Administration Review, 69(2), 359–361.
Piotrowski, S. J., & Van Ryzin, G. G. (2007). Citizen attitudes toward transparency in local government. The American Review of Public Administration, 37(3), 306–323.
Rabl, T., Kuhlmann, T.M. (2008). Understanding corruption in organisations – Development and empirical assessment of an action model. Journal of Business Ethic 477–495.
Rawlins, B.L. (2008). Measuring the relationship between organizational transparency and employee trust. Public Relations Journal, 2(2).
Rawlins, B. L. (2009). Give the emperor a mirror: Toward developing a stakeholder measurement of organizational transparency. Journal of Public Relations Research, 21, 71–99.
Relly, J., & Sabharwal, M. (2009). Perceptions of transparency of government plicymaking: A cross-national study. Government Information, 26, 148–157.
Roberts, A. S. (2006). Blacked out: Government secrecy in the information age. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Schillaci, E., & Longo, M. C. (2010). Territori imprenditoriali. Verso forme di competitività etica (pp. 1–171). Cosenza: Rubbettino.
Sciarelli, S. (2002). Le Funzioni dell’Impresa e le Teorie sulle Finalità Imprenditoriali. In S. Sciarelli (Ed.), Economia e Gestione dell’Impresa. Padova: Cedam.
Stirton, L., & Lodge, M. (2001). Transparency mechanisms: Building publicness into public services. Journal of Law and Society, 28(4), 471–489.
Takim, R., Shaari, S. M., & Nordin, M. (2013). Transparency initiative (TI) for enhancing quality of life: Behavioural components that lead to corruption in construction. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Science, 101(8), 110–119. Elsevier.
Taylor, D. W., Rosair, M. (2000). The effects of participating parties, the public, and size on government departments, accountability disclosures in annual reports. Accounting, Accountability and Performance, 6(1).
Valentini, C. (2013). Public relations in the public sector. The role of strategic communication in the Italian public administration. Sinergie, 92, 93–113.
Acknowledgments
We gratefully acknowledge the Editors of this volume João Leitão and Helena Alves, the Springer, the executive managers of the observed municipalities for their support. Though this paper is the ultimate outcome of a joint effort, it is possible to ascribe Sects. 6.1, 6.2, 6.5 and 6.6 to Maria Cristina Longo; Sects. 6.3, 6.4, 6.7, 6.8 to Eleonora Cardillo.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Longo, M.C., Cardillo, E. (2016). Transparency in Open Administrations: Communication, Accountability and Community’s Quality of Life. Evidences from Innovative Practices in Italian Local Governments. In: Leitão, J., Alves, H. (eds) Entrepreneurial and Innovative Practices in Public Institutions. Applying Quality of Life Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32091-5_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32091-5_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32090-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32091-5
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)