The revolving door phenomenon (the movement of public servants between the public and private sectors) poses a risk to public integrity by facilitating conflicts of interest, regulatory capture, and corrupt practices. Mexico has few systematic studies evaluating the effectiveness of its regulatory framework and institutional actions to prevent this problem. This documentary analysis reviews laws, institutional reports, and specialized literature to assess the measures implemented in the last seven years in the federal public administration to regulate revolving doors. The results reveal regulatory gaps that limit the State's capacity to protect the public interest. In response, it is proposed to reform the General Law of Administrative Responsibilities by incorporating a specific chapter that grants ex-ante powers to Internal Control Bodies to identify conflicts of interest, establishes a mandatory public registry of former public servants moving to the private sector, defines differentiated cooling-off periods according to hierarchical level, and strengthens oversight and sanction mechanisms. Although the study is limited by a lack of public information and official databases, its recommendations seek to strengthen the institutional architecture of integrity and the preventive capacity of the public service.
The study of administrative burdens has identified the costs that citizens may experience in their efforts to gain real access to public services and social benefits. However, less is known about how the experience of administrative burdens affects people emotionally. We present the analysis of original data from a Mexican survey on whether 1) the time spent on administrative tasks or 2) the situation of vulnerability of people explains the variation in positive or negative emotions about doing administrative tasks. Only a statistically significant relationship is found for certain vulnerability indicators. It is proposed as a possible explanation that negative bureaucratic experiences in the Mexican context confirm previous low expectations towards bureaucracies and, therefore, no longer have an impact on the emotional satisfaction of citizens. The findings suggest an attitude learned from repeated dissatisfactions of citizens in their interactions with the State.
This article examines the evolution of public bureaucracy in Latin America between 1980 and 2022, with particular emphasis on professionalization and the adoption of meritocratic principles in public administration. Drawing on a literature review and V-Dem data, the study explores how historical, institutional, and political factors have shaped state bureaucracies across the region. The findings show that, although redemocratization spurred significant reforms, the professionalization of the civil service advanced unevenly and intermittently, with disruptions linked to neoliberal reforms and cycles of populist leadership. The analysis reveals a strong correlation between higher levels of democracy and bureaucratic professionalization, underscoring the role of a rational-legal bureaucracy as a prerequisite for effective public policy and political stability. The article concludes that consolidating a professional bureaucracy is crucial for strengthening democracy and addressing structural inequalities in the region.
This study focuses on the analysis of digital transformation as a challenge for public administrations in Chile, considering the impetus behind the process under Law No. 21,180 on the Digital Transformation of the State. Focusing on the municipalities of the Biobio Region, it aims to analyze their institutional capacities to produce, collect, evaluate, and use data within the framework of digital transformation. The article is structured in three parts: first, a theoretical exposition that connects the concepts of digital governance, digital transformation, institutional capacities, and territorial intelligence; second, a methodological strategy is presented, centered on focus groups and interviews with municipal and regional officials. The results allow us to conclude that institutional capacities for the use of data in the municipalities of the Biobio Region present an uneven development conditioned by the absence of a strategic vision, lack of technical profiles, informal practices of data exchange and the poor interoperability of information systems, so it is essential to promote management that fosters the strategic value of data, along with developing organizational management capacities that combine political leadership with an institutional culture favorable to the use of data.
Why do Latin American countries exhibit such wide gaps in budget transparency and oversight, despite following similar traditions and facing comparable pressures? The literature points to various structural, institutional, and contextual factors to explain these differences, often downplaying the role of policy design. This article explores that role by theorizing three patterns of budget transparency policies and analyzing them empirically across 16 Latin American countries. Through a comparative congruence analysis based on secondary data, the study shows that transparency has been adopted and instrumentalized as a strategy for budget consolidation and rationalization, dissemination, and openness. Some countries have consistently adopted all three patterns, thereby improving budget oversight. In contrast, others have implemented only consolidation or dissemination measures, which have proven insufficient to enhance public accountability over the budget. These findings highlight the importance of analyzing both the normative and instrumental configurations of budget transparency policies to understand their effects better and improve their effectiveness.
The recent expansion of public sector innovation networks in the Brazil has fostered new forms of interorganizational collaboration based on horizontality and shared practices, contrasting with traditional hierarchical structures. Drawing on the collaborative governance literature, this study develops an integrated model of collaborative dynamics to analyze the governance of these networks. The research is guided by the following question: How is collaborative governance configured within public sector innovation networks in Brazil? The specific objectives were to map existing networks, characterize their governance arrangements, and identify their outputs. The study adopts a qualitative, exploratory approach, using systematic document analysis of cooperation agreements, bylaws, meeting minutes, websites, institutional materials, and official posts. The analysis was conducted through thematic coding grounded in four dimensions of the theoretical model -actors, shared values, governance mechanisms, and capacity for joint action- complemented by descriptive statistics for organizing categorical variables. The results show that the networks establish cooperation agreements, share values, and bring together actors from different branches of government, yet municipal actors and civil society remain underrepresented. Their outputs focus primarily on internal audiences, with no consolidated evidence of external impacts.
This study validates the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS) by van Dierendonck and Nuijten (2011) in the Chilean public administration with a gender perspective. A total of 1.229 individuals from 43 institutions participated. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the eight-factor model, showing better fit and reliability indices for employees (omega = 0,956) than for supervisors (omega = 0,747). The "accountability" factor presented low factor loadings in both groups. Measurement invariance across gender was confirmed at the configural, metric, and scalar levels, but not at the residual level. Significant gender differences were found among employees in the factors of "standing back," "humility," and "accountability." Concurrent validity was confirmed with the construct of transformational leadership, and discriminant validity with public service motivation. The findings support the applicability of the SLS in the Chilean public sector as a relational and prosocial model, while also highlighting the need for adjustments when used as a self-assessment tool for supervisors.
A crescente diversidade da população brasileira reflete a necessidade de um serviço público que não apenas represente, mas também valorize a pluralidade de seus servidores e servidoras. Ainda que existam avanços nas políticas públicas e nas leis voltadas para promover a inclusão, a realidade ainda é marcada por desigualdades persistentes. Nesse contexto, a gestão da diversidade e inclusão toma papel cada vez mais relevante, sendo essencial para criar um ambiente de trabalho acolhedor e equitativo. Iniciativas inovadoras como as aqui demonstradas promovem práticas inclusivas e ampliam repertórios para que mais organizações possam multiplicar e mudar suas realidades. Na administração pública brasileira, a Diretoria de Inovação Governamental (DINOV) e o laboratório de gestão inovadora LA-BORA! gov têm avançado na promoção de práticas inclusivas por meio da gestão da diversidade e inovação, implementando metodologias como OKR, confraria de mulheres e comunidade de aprendizagem. Essas práticas visam criar um ambiente mais representativo e equitativo e funcionam como exemplos dentro do serviço público. Essas ações demonstram a importância de cultivar ambientes de trabalho que valorizem a diversidade, promovam o bem-estar e garantam segurança psicológica, resultando em maior engajamento, inovação e sustentabilidade organizacional.
This original study explores the relationship between public communication and open government, aiming to integrate public communication with the principles of open government to promote more transparent, participatory, and responsive governance. The methodology combines a literature review, analysis of international organization guidelines, and examination of Open Government Partnership (OGP) Local Action Plans. The analysis of the action plans of Latin American OGP members reveals an underutilization of public communication, with only four subnational governments addressing the topic. The study emphasizes the need to recognize public communication as a fundamental principle in future OGP action plans, recommending a review of current practices to better align them with global guidelines. Furthermore, it highlights the role of political education in public communication for the implementation of open government principles, such as transparency, citizen participation, and accountability. The research suggests the strategic inclusion of public communication in future OGP plans, contributing significantly to theoretical and practical debates on democratic and participatory governance, and underscores the urgency of a more robust and integrated approach.
Artificial Intelligence(AI) istransformingpublicadministrationsin LatinAmerica, generating unprecedented opportunities to improve efficiency, transparency, citizen participation, and accountability. This article explores, through an exploratory and quantitative approach, the interrelationship between AI development and the principles of open government in the region. Using Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis, data from 19 Latin American countries are examined based on indicators such as innovation, integrity, transparency, democracy, and digital governance. The results show a strong relationship between AI development and public innovation, as well as with digital governance and democratic quality, although institutional weaknesses are also evident, limiting its transformative potential. It is concluded that AI can be an ally in strengthening democracy, as long as it is embedded in ethical, robust, and participatory institutional ecosystems that are open to social oversight and committed to fundamental rights, equity, and effective transparency.
Recent studies indicate a decline in public trust in institutions among Spaniards (Transparencia Internacional, 2024). One of the causes of this issue lies in the perception of a lack of public integrity (Centro de investigaciones sociol & oacute;gicas, 2024). This article examines the information displayed on the web portals of the local councils of five autonomous communities (Catalu & ntilde;a, Comunidad of Madrid, Comunitat Valenciana, islas Baleares and Region of Murcia)and evaluates the degree of compliance with the Infoparticipa Map indicators related to public integrity (12 out of 52). A categorical content analysis was carried out, based on the Infoparticipa indicators, and two ordinary least squares linear regression models were used. According to previous studies (Juaristi y Alonso, 2024; Paricio et al., 2023), greater compliance can be expected in municipalities governed byfemale mayors with larger populations, since theiradministrations have more resources with which to achieve it. The same applies to autonomous communities with a longer track record in terms of both their own autonomous legislation on transparency and the implementation of the Infoparticipa methodology.The results demonstrate that the sex of the mayor, the size of the population, and the autonomous communities are all contributors to the achievement of these indicators related to public integrity.
This article presents the main results of a research project with a general objective of identifying and analyzing the thematic trends and directions of open government commitments in six National Action plans in Brazil, utilizing lexicometric analysis using the software Iramuteq and Excel. The research aims to answer questions about the most recurring themes and keywords, the evolution of plans over time, and whether consistent patterns indicate changes in priority or new approaches in open government policies, thereby contributing to the open government maturity model theory. The results revealed the evolution of the themes throughout the government cycles, evidencing the maturation and adaptation of public policies. The analysis highlighted the centrality of terms such as "data," "open," and "public," reflecting the continuity of key areas including transparency and participation. This study contributes to understanding the evolution of government commitments overtime. It provides a basis for future research and suggests a methodology that can be applied in similar contexts and a comparative perspective between countries and regions. As a limitation, we highlight the fact that this is only an analysis of the Brazilian case.
This article analyzes the evolution of targeted transparency in Ecuador using a comparative empirical approach between requests for access to public information submitted between 2018 and 2022 and the publications made by five ministries under the new regulatory framework of the Ley Org & aacute;nica de Transparencia y Acceso a la Informaci & oacute;n P & uacute;blica, reformed in 2023. Through a qualitative and quantitative analysis of more than a thousand records, patterns of citizen demand are identified, the requested information is categorized, and a thematic alignment index is constructed to assess the degree of correspondence with institutional publications on targeted transparency on the Portal Nacional de Transparencia (2024-2025). The findings reveal low thematic alignment in most ministries, suggesting persistent challenges in the effective implementation of transparency oriented to social demand. It is concluded that focused transparency requires strengthening its methodological foundations, its connection with empirical evidence, and its coherence with the historically expressed needs for social control.
This study analyzed institutional practices in the adoption of Open Parliament principles and dimensions in the Assemblies of the Northeastern Brazilian states. The research employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches, beginning with an nethnographic examination of the websites of nine state parliaments. Then, using exploratory data analysis, they created the Institutional Index of Open Legislative Government in the States (IIGALE-Brazil). It was found that, even with an overall IIGALE-Brazil result considered "satisfactory," the websites, social networks, and transparency portals of the sample investigated still need to make significant improvements to follow the general precepts, based on the literature, on Open Government. The overall result was strongly marked by the predominance of compliance with the active transparency dimension to the detriment of the other dimensions (participation and collaboration), which were in "fair" compliance. Important aspects related to these two dimensions, above all, still need to be better addressed by the institutions studied for effective interaction in the implementation of the Open Parliament philosophy.
Despite more than a decade of global momentum, the "traditional" Open Government paradigm faces structural bottlenecks that limit its impact on transparency, accountability, citizen participation, and collaboration. This paper analyzes its root causes, ranging from organizational culture to the low impact of public management, through technical fragmentation, regulatory inertia, and fractured governance. In response, we propose a study of the "Digital Ecosystem of Integrability (DIE) model" developed in Argentina, based on the methodology proposed by Naser (2021). Naser's guide articulates, evaluates, and values Digital Governance and Government Interoperability strategies and encourages the demonstration of Open Government and Open Data actions as integrated dimensions of the Open State. Argentina's DIE model is deployed within the framework of the IRAM 17610-1 standard and is based on the principles and technological architecture of the Estonian digital ecosystem. These ecosystems constitute a public infrastructure that enables distributed interoperability, traceability of data exchanges, and the creation of digital trust between institutions and citizens. Through specific cases from several Argentine provinces (Neuqu & eacute;n and Mendoza), we demonstrate how the EDI model can transform public management, strengthen transparency, and restore hope for a truly open, efficient, and trustworthy state.
In the field of public policy formulation and institutional design, the use of scientific evidence has become a fundamental principle to guide informed and effective decision-making. However, despite its widespread acceptance, the integration of evidence into public action-understood as the broader process through which social and state actors construct and legitimize collective problems-faces complex challenges that go beyond the mere availability of reliable data. This article explores the reasons that justify insisting on evidence-based practice, considering the tensions between political objectives and technical criteria, the erosion of social consensus on factual reality, and the methodological implications in the production and application of knowledge. Through this analysis and an emblematic example of public policy, Quebec's Pay Equity Act, which was embedded in a broader public action and achieved concrete progress in reducing gender discrimination in the labor market, the article offers a critical reflection on how to ensure that evidence contributes legitimately and effectively to institutional change in dynamic and often contradictory socio-political contexts.
The digitalization of public administration has been developing at an increasingly accelerated pace. In particular, it is noteworthy the impact produced by the combination of interoperability between systems and databases with generative artificial intelligence, which among other things, allow governments to deliver increasingly personalized services to citizens, so that public management is gradually moving from a long stage in which it satisfied the needs and demands of citizens reactively, to one in which technology allows anticipating the demand of users proactively. This paper analyzes the scope of this technological transition in public management, the restrictions of its possible adoption in technologically lagging countries, and the safeguards that should be considered from the point of view of cybersecurity, privacy of individual data, and possible risks to democratic life.
Open justice is an approach that seeks to make justice systems more transparent and democratized, promoting values such as transparency, citizen participation, and accountability. Over the last decade, the concept of "open justice" has gained relevance as a key model for strengthening the rule of law and fostering public trust in justice institutions and their ecosystem. The recent evolution of justice has been marked by the emergence of new digital technologies, from the internet, platforms for accessing judicial data, and interactive mechanisms. The "Open Justice Metric" (OJM) is a report that analyzes and evaluates the degree of openness in Mexico's justice institutions. However, this metric serves as a basis for adaptation to other countries. The report concludes that, while some progress has been made in transparency, there are significant opportunities for improvement in the areas of participation, collaboration, and accountability. It also highlights that having robust methodologies for measuring open justice is crucial, as it not only enables the diagnosis of the state of open justice but also guides its implementation and strengthens its positive impact on society.
This article addresses a complex issue: racial discrimination in access to housing. It provides a normative and conceptual approach to the right to non-discrimination, focusing on Olot, Girona, where a public policywas designed to combat racism in the housing market. The studycombines academic analysis of a growing problem with a knowledge transfer effort, structured through the management of a deliberative process to build this policy. Key findings include racial and cultural barriers limiting access to housing and the benefits and limitations of the deliberative approach to addressing these inequalities. Effective implementation requires commitment from local authorities. The article offers both theoretical and practical contributions, linking this issue to the debate on the deliberative turn in public policy.
