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This doctoral dissertation classifies the existing theoretical approaches in the analysis of budget transparency – theories based on information asymmetry and theories of social responsibility – and empirically examines determinants of the online budget transparency of Croatian municipalities. The empirical part uses a unique panel database from 2014-18 and the dependent variable Open Local Budget Index (OLBI), which shows the annual availability of key budget documents on municipal official websites. A total of six hypotheses were tested to produce the optimal combination of policy instruments (determinants) that increase local budget transparency. Robust empirical analysis is based on Poisson, logistic and spatial regression. The results show that to strengthen municipal budgetary transparency and political accountability, it is crucial to enhance the following instruments: residents' income per capita, municipal fiscal capacity per capita, political competition, women's representation in local politics, and politicians' education. Spatial analysis proved the existence of positive spatial spillovers, showing that the wider environment of the municipality (neighbors) affects the level of budget transparency of the observed municipality. The implications of these results for the next steps at all levels of government and the general public are also outlined, focusing in particular on the possible application of the results of this research to the inevitable reform of the territorial and fiscal organization of the Republic of Croatia. ; Doktorska disertacija klasificira postojeće teorijske pristupe u analizi transparentnosti proračuna i empirijski ispituje odrednice proračunske transparentnosti hrvatskih općina. Kroz teorije utemeljene na informacijskoj asimetriji i teorije društvene odgovornosti sustavno su prikazani pristupi u analizi proračunske transparentnosti. U empirijskom dijelu koristi se jedinstvena panel baza podataka od 2014.-2018. i istražuju odrednice proračunske transparentnosti hrvatskih općina. Zavisna varijabla je indeks otvorenosti lokalnih proračuna, koji prikazuje godišnju dostupnost ključnih proračunskih dokumenata na službenim općinskim mrežnim stranicama. Testirano je šest hipoteza kako bi se došlo do optimalne kombinacije instrumenata (odrednica) koje povećavaju transparentnost lokalnih proračuna. Robusna analiza temelji se na Poissonovoj, logističkoj i prostornoj regresiji. Rezultati pokazuju da je za jačanje transparentnosti općinskog proračuna ključno poboljšati sljedeće instrumente: dohodak lokalnog stanovništva, općinski fiskalni kapacitet, političku konkurenciju, zastupljenost žena u lokalnoj politici i obrazovanje političara. Prostorna analiza dokazala je postojanje pozitivnih prostornih prelijevanja, pokazujući da prakse transparentnosti u širem okruženju općine (susjedi) utječu na razinu njene proračunske transparentnosti. Donose se i preporuke svim razinama vlasti i javnosti za poboljšanje lokalne proračunske transparentnosti, te implikacije rezultata istraživanja na oblikovanje reforme teritorijalnog i fiskalnog ustroja Republike Hrvatske.

This paper provides a review of empirical research on the factors determining the budget/fiscal transparency of subnational governments. It focuses on academic online databases by conducting keyword searches that take in papers published in the period 2000-2017. Three important observations can be made: (1) there is a lack of a unique definition of budget/fiscal transparency; (2) the different definitions lead to disharmonised budget/fiscal transparency measurements; (3) there is a heterogeneity of the definition and measurement of some explanatory variables that can lead to apparent contradictions and inconsistencies in the results obtained. However, the paper provides a balanced account of core explanatory factors, emphasizing variables that, despite heterogeneity in definition and measurement, have a significant impact on the levels of subnational government budget/ fiscal transparency. Since the review involves mainly online disclosure, future studies might want to extend the observation period, or implement systematic reviews and meta-analyses to gain additional insights on this topic.

The purpose of this study was to explore the receptiveness of Croatian local governmental officials in adopting a council-manager reform model of governance, given the low administrative and fiscal capacities of many Croatian cities. We surveyed all 128 cities in Croatia with a response rate of 48% ( n = 61). Sixty-two percent of top administrators were skeptical that this reform model was feasible. Our data suggest a desire of city administrators for shielding administrative functions from political ones as half of all respondents felt political pressure in budgeting and personnel issues. This was amplified through the qualitative data where respondents cited political parties' control in city administration and interference in administrative functions. Chief obstacles to implementing reform components focused on concerns about the political influence of politicians.

Taxpayers want to pay as little in taxes as possible to fund an adequate level of public goods and services in their local government, and so they need to keep their local incumbents accountable. Online local budget transparency (OLBT) facilitates this accountability, as it enables citizens to find information online about their local budgets that is timely, accurate, comprehensive and understandable. The aim of this article is to identify the most important determinants of OLBT for all 556 Croatian cities and municipalities from 2014 to 2017. Using a dynamic spatial lag Durbin model, the analysis explores the direct and indirect effects of potential determinants on OLBT. The main contribution is the pioneering use of a dynamic spatial lag Durbin model for researching local budget transparency determinants in a Central and Eastern European democracy. The results show that neighbours have an influence on OLBT but that direct effects dominate; that is, the major OLBT determinants come from within each city/municipality. Particularly important determinants are residents' income, the local government's wealth, the number of public employees in the city/municipality and the population size.

This article analyses the determinants of the voluntary online local budget transparency (OLBT) of Croatian local governments. Budget transparency is one of preconditions for enabling citizens' participation and improving public sector outcomes; however, the previous empirical results are ambiguous and inconclusive, with particular gaps for ex-socialist, fiscally centralized countries. To contribute to the existing literature, this article uses the principal-agent and legitimacy theories and non-linear panel data models for the 2015-2017 period to analyse 128 cities and 428 municipalities in Croatia. The findings show that local governments with higher residents' per capita income, population, Internet access, and administrative and fi scal capacity voluntarily publish more budget documents online. Policy recommendations point to the urge for the reform of the country's territorial and fi scal organisation, the promotion of budget transparency in less developed cities/ municipalities and for education of citizens about budgets. The main study limitation is the absence of a qualitative analysis of observed documents.

This article analyses the determinants of the voluntary online local budget transparency (OLBT) of Croatian local governments. Budget transparency is one of preconditions for enabling citizens' participation and improving public sector outcomes; however, the previous empirical results are ambiguous and inconclusive, with particular gaps for ex-socialist, fiscally centralized countries. To contribute to the existing literature, this article uses the principal-agent and legitimacy theories and non-linear panel data models for the 2015-2017 period to analyse 128 cities and 428 municipalities in Croatia. The findings show that local governments with higher residents' per capita income, population, Internet access, and administrative and fi scal capacity voluntarily publish more budget documents online. Policy recommendations point to the urge for the reform of the country's territorial and fi scal organisation, the promotion of budget transparency in less developed cities/ municipalities and for education of citizens about budgets. The main study limitation is the absence of a qualitative analysis of observed documents. ; Rad analizira odrednice dobrovoljne transparentnosti proračuna lokalnih jedinica (OLBT) u Hrvatskoj. Premda proračunska transparentnost predstavlja preduvjet participaciji građana i poboljšavanja ishoda u javnom sektoru, rezultati istraživanja su nejasni i neuvjerljivi, gotovo nepostojeći za post-socijalističke, fiskalno centralizirane države. Doprinos rada je primjena modela agenta i principala te teorije legitimnosti na primjeru jedne takve zemlje. Primjenom nelinearne panel analize na uzorku od 128 gradova i 428 općina u razdoblju od 2015. do 2017. godine utvrđeno je da lokalne jedinice s većim dohotkom po stanovniku, brojem stanovnika, boljim pristupom internetu, većim administrativnim i fi skalnim kapacitetom dobrovoljno objavljuju više proračunskih dokumenata. Preporuke ukazuju na potrebu reforme teritorijalnog i fiskalnog ustroja države, promicanja dobrih praksi proračunske transparentnosti u manje razvijenim gradovima i općinama te educiranja građana o proračunu. Glavno o graničenje istraživanja jest odsustvo kvalitativne analize dokumenata.

As a part of the public governance, transparency started to come forward during the New Public Management reforms, mostly for the evaluation of public sector efficiency. This article focuses on online local budget transparency (OLBT) in two neighbouring countries – Croatia and Slovenia. The article is pioneering in a comparative study of the determinants of budget transparency in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, based on a unique database and measure of transparency. The article tests the determinants of OLBT that reflect the accountability of local authorities and a cornerstone for public participation in the budget process. The following methodology was applied: using a data set of 768 Slovenian and Croatian local governments over the 2015–2017 period and testing it against several financial and socio-economic variables, and a random effects panel logistic regression, separately for Croatia, Slovenia, and a pooled sample. The results indicate that greater size of the population, higher administrative capacity and lower unemployment rate in individual local governments significantly contribute to higher levels of OLBT. This study demonstrates the possibility of developing a standardised measure of local budget transparency and using it to investigate the reasons for different levels of transparency in the two – and potentially other – CEE countries. The results of this and similar studies can serve as a basis for establishing cohesive local budget transparency policies for different countries and creating a combination of policy instruments to enhance transparency.