Associação entre transparência e desenvolvimento nas regiões metropolitanas cearenses

Abstract

Transparency is a prominent topic nowadays, as citizens demand more information about the application of public resources and the motivations behind governmental actions. Transparent governments are expected to promote efficient management and improve the population's quality of life, reflected in better socioeconomic indicators. This study examined the association between socioeconomic indicators, municipal management quality, and transparency. Data from 45 municipalities in Ceará, belonging to the metropolitan regions of Cariri, Fortaleza, and Sobral, were analyzed. Socioeconomic data were collected from official databases, and the Transparent Brazil Scale - 360° Assessment, from the Office of the Comptroller General, was applied to the municipalities. The Pearson correlation coefficient and Kendall's rank correlation coefficient were used to verify the association. The results showed a positive association between transparency, income, and municipal management quality; a positive association between transparency and health; and a negative association between transparency and education, the latter two contrary to expectations. The absence of correlations may discourage public officials from investing in transparency, given that public officials generally prioritize actions that yield immediate results. Further studies, including data time lag, are necessary to verify if there is a delay in the association, considering that institutional changes take time to show their effects