Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the usefulness of popular reporting (PR) in an Italian city as a dialogic accounting tool for promoting citizens’ engagement with digital platforms. This study aims to contribute to the debate on democratic accounting technologies with a focus on PR and digital platforms, using the theoretical lens of dialogic accounting. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal case study is used to analyse the implementation and evolution of PR in the city of Turin, Italy and explore how the city involved its citizens with digital platforms. Findings This study contributes to the debate on public accountability through dialogic accounting tools. Research limitations/implications Multiple sources (surveys, interviews and interventionist workshops) are used to analyse Turin, Italy as a longitudinal case study. Practical implications This study offers practical reflections for legislators, politicians and public managers who need new knowledge and empirical analysis of the effective implementation of the PR as a tool for dialogue and empowering public accounting to hold continuous dialogue with the citizens. Originality/value PR can be considered a useful dialogic accounting tool for politicians, managers and government experts to encourage citizens’ engagement in a pluralistic society.
Highlights
High on the new public governance agenda is an increasing interest in involving citizens to improve the legitimacy of government actions (Bingham et al, 2005) and increase democratic governance with dialogic accounting tools (Brown, 2009; Mouffe, 2013)
This study explored the usefulness of popular reporting (PR) as a dialogic accounting tool to promote citizen involvement in a citizen-centred perspective
One Torino Municipality politician stated the following: “The second Integrated popular reporting (IPR) edition was created with the aim to increase dialogue with citizens,” adding that “between 2016 and 2017, the dialogic approach was improved in a way that allowed the politicians to respond quickly and effectively to the citizens’ information needs by analysing citizen opinions and feedback.”
Summary
High on the new public governance agenda is an increasing interest in involving citizens to improve the legitimacy of government actions (Bingham et al, 2005) and increase democratic governance with dialogic accounting tools (Brown, 2009; Mouffe, 2013). The diffusion of open and transparent financial documents is a starting point for citizen involvement (Gonzalez-Zapata and Heeks, 2015; Manes Rossi et al, 2018). For this reason, scholars, public managers and politicians have started to pay more attention to popular reporting (PR) (GASB, 1992; Yusuf et al, 2013). The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/ licences/by/4.0/legalcode
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