Collaborative Research: An Experimental Test of the Impacts of Transparency by Government

Brigham Young University, Provo UT

Investigators

Abstract

This research project tests whether transparency by government leads to beneficial outcomes such as better performance by government, more engagement from citizens in public life, and improved trust in government. These kinds of outcomes are the reasons why so many countries, including the United States, have embraced transparency by government. Yet, there is not much direct evidence that transparency efforts by governments produce the noted results. The project uses a randomized field experiment to test whether transparency by a government agency affects citizen support for government and improves the administration of public funds. Data on these outcomes is used to statistically test for the effects of government-led transparency at individual and community levels. Funding is for Phase 1 only of the project.