Transparency in the Municipal Public Management Evidenced in the Municipality Homepages of Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento (Corede) of Missões/RS

Abstract

This study investigated the situation of public management transparency in the 25 municipalities that integrate COREDE Missões/RS, through its websites, using rankings developed from the application of the Transparency Index Municipal Public Management (ITGP-M), elaborated by Cruz (2010). For the data collection, a structured observation protocol was used, based on the evaluation criteria of the ITGP-M, which quantifies municipal transparency in up to 143 points, divided into six categories of information. The results indicate low levels of transparency, demonstrating that none of the 25 municipalities investigated fully discloses information about municipal public management. The general average of the transparency index (ITGP-M) was 53.68 points, with the lowest score having 35 points (Dezesseis de Novembro), while the highest index reached 76 points (São Luiz Gonzaga). This analysis reflects that many of the investigated municipalities websites are predominantly configured as electronic murals and not as spaces for transparency construction. Most of these websites have merely informative characteristics of the municipal government organs and departments, making compliance with most of the legal requirements to meet the informational demands of society.