Form and essence: the effects of laws on transparency, access to information and citizen participation in local democratic governance in Chile

Abstract

In recent years, Chile has implemented legal reforms on transparency, access to information (Law 20.285) and citizen participation in public administration (Law 20.500). Evaluations of the implementation of these laws have only measured compliance with legal requirements, without examining their effects on democratic governance at the municipal level. Looking at theoretical and methodological aspects, this article analyzes the effects of institutional mechanisms for transparency, access to information and citizen participation in three regional capitals of Chilean Patagonia: Puerto Montt, Coyhaique and Punta Arenas. The results reveal that, even in cases of high formal compliance, there are great challenges, both in form and substance, which hamper the emergence of local democratic governance. At the same time, the article also finds evidence of the emergence of local collaborative initiatives, which have improved interaction between municipal governments and civil society at the local level.