P15 Innovations in Government Transparency and Accountability: Building Trust in Public Service

Corresponding chair

Paige L. Moore, MSW, Doctoral Candidate, NC State University, plmoore2@ncsu.edu

Review group chair and Co-chair

Ratna Okhai, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of South Florida, okhair@usf.edu 

Kayla Schwoerer, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Albany, kschwoerer@albany.edu

Description

As a method for both reducing corruption and promoting integrity, significant global efforts have been made to increase governmental transparency. This includes making information about policy processes, government decision-making and data available to the public. These efforts serve to increase the effectiveness, efficiency, social equity, and economy of public service using tools that promote transparency to build public trust in the long term. 

The purpose of this panel is to facilitate a conversation and explore innovations in public service that promote transparency and accountability for the purpose of increasing public trust and civic engagement. This can include the utilization of social media to send and receive critical information (e.g., Governments’ Facebook pages, Twitter accounts) or even the emerging ability to ‘stream’ meetings that allow for citizen participation remotely. The panel examines global policies, programs, and practices developed to promote transparency and accountability in government services. We invite scholars and researchers studying public administration, public policy, and public management to submit for this panel and welcome theoretical, conceptual, and empirical contributions. We also invite papers that provide methods for measuring transparency and the effectiveness of innovations.

Contribution to Public Management: The concept of transparency in government has implications for both performance and trust as it relates to service delivery. Recent years have seen a rise in scholarship looking at this idea of governments being more transparent and accountable in how they provide those services, so understanding the different innovations that have emerged is critical. This topic is necessary for the future of how we govern, as more organizations utilize innovative tools to ensure that their policies reflect their practices, and these build a more responsive government.

Innovation Element: This panel emphasizes innovation in public management and public service by examining the impact of innovative policies, programs and services on public trust and civic engagement. By facilitating a conversation and exploring practices and results that promote transparency and accountability for the purpose of increasing public trust and civic engagement, we aim to explore the future of public management and methods for measuring the effectiveness of public service. 

Keywords: Public service, transparency, accountability, innovation, trust, civic engagement