INFORMATIONAL OPENNESS OF GOVERNMENT BODIES AS AN ELEMENT OF EFFECTIVE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Abstract

In the context of the digital economy and growing citizen expectations, openness is becoming a prerequisite for public administration. Modern governments are increasingly focusing on the principles of openness, accountability, and engagement with civil society. One of the key elements of effective public administration in this context is informational transparency, a system of measures aimed at ensuring access by citizens, the media, and other stakeholders to reliable, complete, and timely information about government activities. The author examines the nature, principles, and legal foundations of informational transparency of government bodies, as well as the main mechanisms for its implementation. The author devotes special attention to transparency mechanisms, among which key ones include official websites and open data portals; handling citizen inquiries; press service activities; and interaction with the media. The author identifies the main barriers hindering the effectiveness of government information transparency and suggests several ways to overcome them. These include, for example, the excessive use of the category “restricted access” in legislation, low levels of citizen engagement, and the lack of independent oversight bodies. To address these issues, the author formulates proposals, including improving relevant legislation and enhancing the communication skills of civil servants.