TRANSPARENCY AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN ARGENTINE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS

Abstract

This study examines the principle of transparency as one of the pillars of the paradigm of open government. Its main objective is to determine whether there is any grouping of municipal governments according to transparency and the dissemination of information and communications technologies (ICTs). Consequently, it seeks to classify the municipal governments of Argentina’s provincial capitals based on these indicators. For this purpose, it uses the Argentine Municipal Transparency Index (ITMA), which measures active budget transparency and passive transparency, and indicators of ICT access and use from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC). Through k-means cluster analysis, it distinguishes two groups of municipal governments: those with high transparency and ICT dissemination and those with low transparency and ICT dissemination. These clusters differ in the size of the municipalities and their income or economic resources