Transparency in government institutions: a literature review

Abstract

This paper presents a literature review on the issue of transparency in government institutions. The review is carried out through a bibliometric survey of the Scopus database, brazilian government websites, and brazilian legislation. The review explores and evaluates government transparency as it pertains to Brazilian as well as international spheres. An analysis of the articles (from 2011 to 2012) found in the Scopus database using the keyword “transparency,” uncovered the following recurring themes: open government, e-government, government accountability, and communication. The theoretical scope was constructed from these issues, plus the more relevant Brazilian legislation as well as issues encountered on websites focusing on international governmental institutions. Thus, it was possible to construct a theoretical framework that should guide the development of future researches.

Keywords

• government transparency
• open government
• e-government
• accountability
• communication government