Abstract

Despite abundant research on government transparency, there have been a limited number of empirical studies that assess government transparency by directly examining the content of information. Using 50 U.S. states from 2002 to 2016, this study examines the relationship between the tone of textual parts in financial documents and financial condition to understand whether governments provide important information about their operations in an easily understandable format (i.e., textual format). Conducting machine-aided textual analysis on Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports (ACFRs), this study finds that state governments ensure effective transparency by making what textual information indicates consistent with objective measures of financial condition. As financial conditions change, states adjust the tone of textual parts accordingly, which can be more easily understood by laypeople than complicated numbers in financial statements. The findings also suggest that declining financial conditions do not lead states to increase the use of uncertainty words to mask negative financial information. This study enhances our understanding of the meaning of transparency, and thereby contributes to the development of accountable public management practices and good governance.

摘要

尽管对政府透明度的研究非常丰富，但通过直接考察信息内容来评估政府透明度的实证研究数量有限。本研究使用 2002 年至 2016 年的美国 50 个州，检验财务文件中文本部分的语气与财务状况之间的关系，以了解政府是否以易于理解的格式（即文本格式）提供有关其运营的重要信息。本研究对年度综合财务报告 (ACFR) 进行机器辅助文本分析，发现州政府通过使文本信息表明的内容与财务状况的客观衡量标准一致来确保有效的透明度。随着财务状况的变化，各州相应地调整文本部分的基调，这比财务报表中的复杂数字更容易被外行人理解。调查结果还表明，金融状况下降不会导致各州增加使用不确定性词语来掩盖负面金融信息。这项研究增强了我们对透明度含义的理解，从而有助于发展负责任的公共管理实践和善治。