Title: Measuring governments' online accountability

Authors: Paola Hermosa del Vasto; Susana Jorge; Elena Urquía-Grande; Cristina del Campo

Addresses: Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences, University of Granada, Spain ' Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Research Center in Political Science, Portugal ' Faculty of Economics and Business, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain ' Faculty of Economics and Business, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Abstract: This paper aims to propose an electronic accountability index of information disclosure on the web - named e-accountability index (e-AI). In particular, the methodology used to develop the e-AI, based on seven areas of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) survey, is described and explained. The application of the index is then illustrated using central government websites of the 12 South American countries, often referred to as not discharging enough accountability. The e-AI scores can be recorded for different countries that may be, therefore, ranked accordingly. This research contributes by developing an important index of electronic accountability that takes into account the standards of good governance and the accessibility and usability of each government's website, to improve the disclosure of information and evaluate their level of accountability in a comparative-international perspective.

Keywords: accountability; accessibility; usability; index; central governments; South America.

DOI: 10.1504/EG.2024.135314

Electronic Government, an International Journal, 2024 Vol.20 No.1, pp.109 - 138

Received: 10 Sep 2021
Accepted: 12 Dec 2021
Published online: 05 Dec 2023 *