Sapienza Università di Roma

The research unit of Sapienza University of Rome analyzes the administrative and political transparency as an anti-corruption tool through different methodological approaches. In this perspective, a line of research focuses on the measurement issues and develops a non-aggregative methodology to build a composite indicator of public administrations’ transparency based on the Italian regulation.

The construction of this indicator is aimed at: 1) picture a map of transparency in Italy; 2) allow empirical analyses on the determinants and effects of transparency in terms of accountability; 3) assess the dynamic evolution of the compliance degree of different types of Administrations (Municipalities, Independent Authorities); 4) relate the measure of formal transparency (on the supply side) with stakeholders’ civic access (on the demand side) to investigate the effective interest for specific items, in the perspective of defining best practices and effective policies.

As regards the political transparency, considered one of the major axes of the anti-corruption policies together with the administrative transparency, a line of research assesses the impact of candidates’ transparency in the electoral competitions at municipal level using the Randomized Control Trial where voters are randomly selected and exposed to certain types of information to evaluate their effects.

Moreover, the research line on transparency also focuses on the sector of public works through laboratory experiments aimed to analyze the role of transparency as a prevention tool of corruptive behaviors and of promotion of policy makers’ integrity.

Finally, a line of research on corruption empirically analyzes the impact of corruptive environments on the credit and public subsidies access of the SMEs firm in a panel of European countries.