Web Accessibility and Transparency for Accountability

2017 ◽  
pp. 140-166
Author(s):  
Maria José Angélico ◽  
Amélia Silva ◽  
Sandrina Francisca Teixeira ◽  
Telma Maia ◽  
Anabela Martins Silva
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Public Communication ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Government Accountability ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Inclusive Concept ◽  
Automated Tool

Local government is a political power close to citizens and constitutes a mainstay of democracy. Because of their mission, the guidelines promoted by local government must be embedded in strategies of accountability and public communication. In that sense, it is worthwhile to ask if “local government accountability is being an inclusive concept?” In Portugal, transparency of municipalities is being accessed through the Municipality Transparency Index (MTI). The study aim was to investigate whatever MTI measures accessibility. This study examined the availability of local government information on the website for a sample of 86 Portuguese municipalities and presented the results of a quantitative evaluation of the web accessibility based on W3C guidelines, using an automated tool. Based on the main concepts of transparency and accessibility, it explored static association between MTI and web accessibility. This study contributed to the discussion about transparency as a social value and is of great importance for local policy makers and civic movements in favor of disabled people.

Web Accessibility and Transparency for Accountability

2020 ◽  
pp. 1579-1605
Author(s):  
Maria José Angélico ◽  
Amélia Silva ◽  
Sandrina Francisca Teixeira ◽  
Telma Maia ◽  
Anabela Martins Silva
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Public Communication ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Government Accountability ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Inclusive Concept ◽  
Automated Tool

Local government is a political power close to citizens and constitutes a mainstay of democracy. Because of their mission, the guidelines promoted by local government must be embedded in strategies of accountability and public communication. In that sense, it is worthwhile to ask if “local government accountability is being an inclusive concept?” In Portugal, transparency of municipalities is being accessed through the Municipality Transparency Index (MTI). The study aim was to investigate whatever MTI measures accessibility. This study examined the availability of local government information on the website for a sample of 86 Portuguese municipalities and presented the results of a quantitative evaluation of the web accessibility based on W3C guidelines, using an automated tool. Based on the main concepts of transparency and accessibility, it explored static association between MTI and web accessibility. This study contributed to the discussion about transparency as a social value and is of great importance for local policy makers and civic movements in favor of disabled people.

scholarly journals Samorząd terytorialny jako uczestnik komunikacji społecznej

2018 ◽  
pp. 21-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryszard KOWALCZYK
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Information Policy ◽  
Public Communication ◽  
The Political ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Political Foundations

The author considers local government as a participant of social communication, mainly by means of its public communications. He emphasizes two fundamental forms of public communication, formal and informal. He touches upon the political foundations of local government information policies, which implement a specific political vision of the authorities. The author concludes by saying that in the field of information policy a unit of local government cannot be treated as a passive executor of statutory tasks (in their formal and legal aspects) but should rather be perceived as an active creator that runs its information policies on the basis of its own local policy (the political and legal aspects).

scholarly journals Local Government Efficiency in German Municipalities

2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benny Geys ◽  
Friedrich Heinemann ◽  
Alexander Kalb
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The State ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Global Efficiency ◽  
Government Efficiency

AbstractThis article evaluates German local governments' cost efficiency using a sample of 1,021 municipalities in the state of Baden-Württemberg for the year 2001. We thereby concentrate on overall or 'global' efficiency scores—rather than estimate efficiency for one particular service—and explicitly account for exogenous or non-discretionary influences. The latter not only corrects for influences possibly beyond the control of local policy-makers, but also allows some indication of the determinants of such 'global' efficiency. Our results indicate that there is a substantial divergence in efficiency across municipalities despite a homogeneous institutional setting. As especially smaller municipalities appear less efficient, these results support a case for policy programmes aimed at boundary reviews or more extensive inter-communal cooperation among small municipalities.

A LOOK INTO THE HISTORY OF THE PREPARATION OF LOCAL PROFESSIONALS IN THE INDUSTRY

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Toshkentboy Pardaev ◽  
◽  
Zhavli Tursunov
Keyword(s):  
Evidence Based ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Soviet Government ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
History Of

In the article : In the second half of the 20 century the process of preparation of local experts in South Uzbekistan industry changes in this field a clear evidence-based analysis of the problematic processes that resulted from the discriminatory policy toward the Soviet government-dominated local policy makers

scholarly journals Climate scientists set the bar of proof too high

2021 ◽  
Vol 165 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth A. Lloyd ◽  
Naomi Oreskes ◽  
Sonia I. Seneviratne ◽  
Edward J. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Public Communication ◽  
Central Question ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Standard Of Proof ◽  
Policy Context ◽  
Standards Of Proof

AbstractStandards of proof for attributing real world events/damage to global warming should be the same as in clinical or environmental lawsuits, argue Lloyd et al. The central question that we raise is effective communication. How can climate scientists best and effectively communicate their findings to crucial non-expert audiences, including public policy makers and civil society? To address this question, we look at the mismatch between what courts require and what climate scientists are setting as a bar of proof. Our first point is that scientists typically demand too much of themselves in terms of evidence, in comparison with the level of evidence required in a legal, regulatory, or public policy context. Our second point is to recommend that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommend more prominently the use of the category “more likely than not” as a level of proof in their reports, as this corresponds to the standard of proof most frequently required in civil court rooms. This has also implications for public policy and the public communication of climate evidence.

scholarly journals With a Little Help from Their Friends: The Consequences of Populists in National Government for Policymaking in Local Government

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Fred Paxton
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
National Government ◽  
Radical Right ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
Strategic Value ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Multilevel Perspective ◽  
Radical Right Parties ◽  
Newspaper Data

Abstract Despite increasing research into populist parties in power, their impact on subnational institutions has been neglected. Taking a novel multilevel perspective, this article inquires into the policy consequences of populist radical right parties (specifically, the FPÖ and Lega) in local government, and the effect of their simultaneous participation in national government. The article shows the expansion of exclusionary policy that follows their concurrent presence in national and local government. The process that leads from national government entry to local policy influence is traced using interview and newspaper data. The article argues that the influence of central parties over these ‘showcase’ localities is rooted in different multilevel governance configurations. These vary cross-nationally according to two factors: the strength of mayors’ linkages with higher government levels in the different institutional settings and, due to the different extent of party nationalization, the strategic value of the municipality to the central party.

scholarly journals Between the Regulatory State and the Networked Polity: Central-Local Government Relations in Sweden

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael Granberg ◽  
Mikael Granberg ◽  
Stig Montin
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Regional Government ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Regulatory State ◽  
Central State ◽  
State Regulations ◽  
Government Relations ◽  
Integration Of Immigrants ◽  
Post War

Governance research has become strikingly multifaceted in terms of theory, methods and empirical focus. More attention has been given to the spatial and scalar dimensions, and research are becoming more context-sensitive and process-oriented. Drawing upon on results from several research projects and programmes conducted by the authors and some other researchers this article offers an analysis of the development of Swedish central-local government relations since the 1990s. Analysing the constitutional, financial and multi-scalar/multilevel changes of these relations since the end of the Millenium, the strong neoliberal imprint upon ideology and practices is highlighted, showing how de-regulation gradually intermingled with re-regulation, combining market-driven, public welfare provision with measurement, evaluation and control. The article also bring to the fore sustainability, climate change and immigration as local policy fields characterized by horizontal capacity-building involving municipalities, private companies and civil society. Gradually municipal and regional government came under pressure by contextual challenges such as an elderly population, increasing number of school children and integration of immigrants. Related to this central state regulations and obligations multiplied and complicated local policy-making. As a broader discursive framework of the study the analysis is related to Antonino Palumbo’s (2015) exploration of post-war policy development in Europe in the light of two contesting, but complementary, ‘research programmes’, the Regulatory State and the Networked Polity. Finally, the article bring attention to the huge pandemic challenge facing humanity and governance at all levels beginning in spring 2020. What role municipalities will find in this critical juncture remains to be seen.

Government Information Sharing

2012 ◽  
pp. 23-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa Estevez ◽  
Pablo Fillottrani ◽  
Tomasz Janowski ◽  
Adegboyega Ojo
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Government Response ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Conceptual Clarity ◽  
One Stop ◽  
Abstraction Levels

Information sharing (IS) is a key capability required for one-stop and networked government, responding to a variety of intra-organizational, inter-organizational, or cross-national needs like sharing service-related information between parties involved in the delivery of seamless services, sharing information on available resources to enable whole-of-government response to emergencies, etc. Despite its importance, the IS capability is not common for governments due to various technical, organizational, cultural, and other barriers which are generally difficult to address by individual agencies. However, developing such capabilities is a challenging task which requires government-wide coordination, explicit policies and strategies, and concrete implementation frameworks. At the same time, reconciling existing theoretical frameworks with the IS practice can be difficult due to the differences in conceptions and abstraction levels. In order to address such difficulties, this chapter proposes a conceptual framework to guide the development of Government Information Sharing (GIS) policies, strategies, and implementations. By integrating theoretical frameworks and the GIS practice, the framework adopts a holistic view on the GIS problem, highlights the main areas for policy intervention, and provides policy makers and government managers with conceptual clarity on the GIS problem.

When a Country Ignores Its Own Data

2021 ◽  
pp. 175-182
Author(s):  
Rob Kitchin
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Housing Crisis ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Property Prices ◽  
Property Data ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Construction Activity ◽  
Vacancy Rates ◽  
Quality Issues

This chapter evaluates the benefits of evidence-informed policy over anecdote through an account of the financial crash in Ireland and the effect of creating public data stories. If politicians, policy makers, local government, the banks and property developers had paid proper attention to the data, the crash may not have happened, or at least might have had a softer landing. Instead, the data were ignored. The census data showed that all the way through the boom, vacancy rates were increasing, housing completions were running way ahead of household increase, more land was being zoned than could realistically be developed, and land and property prices were overheating. As a consequence, Ireland was still paying the price and continuing to experience a housing crisis. While some oversupply still existed in parts of the country, over a decade of suppressed construction activity and rising population had led to a shortage of housing in the cities and their commuter belts. Moreover, Ireland still has an issue with property data, with some datasets being discontinued, some having quality issues, some released in non-open formats and some still non-existent.

Unified Website Accessibility Assessment Framework

2022 ◽  
pp. 135-168
Author(s):  
Zehra Altuntaş ◽  
Pınar Onay Durdu
Keyword(s):  
Web Sites ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Web Content ◽  
Evaluation Approach ◽  
Automated Evaluation ◽  
Accessibility Guideline ◽  
Content Accessibility ◽  
Automated Tool

In this chapter, a unified web accessibility assessment (UWAA) framework and its software has been proposed. UWAA framework was developed by considering Web Content Accessibility Guideline 2.0 to evaluate accessibility of web sites by integrating more than one evaluation approach. Achecker tool as an automated evaluation approach and barrier walkthrough (BW) as an expert-based evaluation approach were integrated in the UWAA framework. The framework also provides suggestions to recover from the problems determined to the evaluators. The websites of three universities were evaluated to determine the framework's accuracy and consistency. It was revealed that the results obtained from automated and expert-based evaluation methods were consistent and complementary with each other. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that problems which cannot be determined by an automated tool but which can be detected by an expert can be identified by BW method.

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