Public trust in local government is eroding. According to data from Polco, in 2022 less than 50 percent of residents surveyed had confidence in their local government. This is part of a larger and worrying trend. The same data shows that overall confidence in local government fell from 56 percent in 2020 to 48 percent in 2022—an eight-point drop.
The most effective way to bolster trust between local governments and their residents is through transparency. Transparency builds public trust, promotes accountability and efficiency, and simultaneously decreases opportunities for misconduct and fraud.
Achieving transparency in local government is challenging. There may be concerns about the time and costs of implementing transparency measures, as well as worries about the risk of opening the organization and its staff to greater scrutiny and criticism. Since prioritizing transparency can provide such significant benefits for a local government, it’s important to understand the potential return on investment of these initiatives.
American City & County
Written by Mike Bell
10th February 2023