Initially, when we consider an overview of the topic, the relationship between transparency and trust in government, through a literature review by Cucciniello, Porumbescu and Grimmelikhuijsen (2017), for example, found a predominance of the positive effect of transparency.
Could it be that this positive scenario is the predominant one in international literature? However, other studies on this relationship in public administration more generally have also found that transparency can lead to less trust, possibly because it arouses suspicion and concern among citizens (Grimmelikhuijsen et al., 2013; Grimmelikhuijsen, Piotrowski; Van Ryzin, 2020) or even if it is limited, confusing or unrelated (Grimmelikhuijsen, 2012; Grimmelikhuijsen; Meijer, 2012; Mabillard; Pasquie, 2015).
Referring to the context and particularities of each study, a literature review revealed different approaches to dealing with the effects of transparency on trust. When defining transparency, for example, caution is required due to the complexity and multidimensionality of the concepts and knowing that it is not a closed and understood concept (Lopes, 2021). In addition, there is a constant effort to improve the concepts of trust and the dimensions involved, which remains under discussion in the literature (Santos, 2014). As such, guidance on these effects requires caution and a closer approximation to the context that will be addressed in the studies.
At the end of the systematic review that we carried out in 2023 to prepare the thesis project within the ADMETHICS research group and when we specifically described 11 (eleven) studies that adopted the dimensions of reliability as a determinant of trust, we could observe that: the studies present a configuration that is in line with the findings of Cucciniello, Porumbescu and Grimmelikhuijsen (2017). In this case, it was also found that a scenario of positive effects prevails with 04 studies (Auger, 2014; Grimmelikhuijsen et al., 2015; Yan; Wang; Wu, 2020; Rieznik; Lee, 2021), however, the majority (07 studies) take different positions by finding in the research: negative effects (Grimmelikhuijsen, 2010; Grimmelikhuijsen et al., 2013), neutral (Grimmelikhuijsen, 2012; Grimmelikhuijsen; Meijer, 2012; Mabillard; Pasquier, 2015) and mixed effects (Porumbescu, 2015; Alessandro et al., 2021).
In view of this, there is no consensus in the literature on the effects resulting from this relationship. After all, even though there is a pattern in research when using the dimensions of reliability as a determinant of trust, possible limitations must be recognized (Grimmelikhuijsen, 2012) and other factors may influence the results found (Alessandro et al., 2021).
References
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