Transparency and Openness in Local Governance: A Case of Croatian Cities ; Transparentnost i otvorenost lokalnog javnog upravljanja: slučaj hrvatskih gradova

Abstract

Transparency and openness are a key concern in contemporary democracies, at both the national and subnational level. Dissemination of public information is a prerequisite for citizens to exercise their individual and political rights. Transparency is also a prerequisite for accountability. The openness of public authorities to a dialogue with the citizenry has become a key ingredient of the democratic process. Citizens are able to take part in a shared responsibility for the decisions of public authorities. The paper presents an evaluation of the websites of 16 Croatian cities. The Transparency and Openness index, composed of four dimensions, and further developed through 13 components, has shown that cities still do not comply with transparency standards, even when those standards are legally prescribed. They are inclined to disclose 'light' information, which is not politically loaded and has no direct connection to the accountability mechanism.It is possible, however, to detect innovative leaders, who promote transparency and employ their websites accordingly. ; Transparentnost i otvorenost je glavna briga suvremenih demokracija, podjednako na nacionalnoj i subnacionalnoj razini. Širenje javnih informacija je preduvjet da bi građani mogli ostvariti svoja pojedinačna i politička prava. Transparentnost je također preduvjet za odgovornost. Otvorenost javnih vlasti dijalogu s građanima postala je ključni sastojak demokratskog procesa. Građani postaju sposobni preuzeti dio odgovornosti za odluke javnih vlasti. U radu se evaluiraju internetske stranice 16 hrvatskih gradova. Indeks transparentnosti i otvorenosti koji se sastoji od četiri dimenzije i 13 komponenti pokazuje da gradovi još nisu dosegli standarde transparentnosti čak i kad su ovi pravno propisani. Gradovi su skloni objavljivati manje važne informacije, koje nemaju političku težinu ni direktnu vezu s mehanizmom političke odgovornosti. Ipak, moguće je pronaći inovativne lokalne vođe koje promoviraju transparentnost i koriste gradske internetske stranice u tu svrhu.