THE ROLE OF TRANSPARENCY IN PUBLIC MANAGEMENT: A THEORETICAL REVIEW

Abstract

Transparency in public management has been consolidated as a key concept for strengthening democracy and improving relations between the State and society. This work is based on the contemporary challenge of ensuring that the actions of the public authorities are clear, accessible and subject to social control, especially in the face of demands for greater integrity, accountability and citizen participation. The main objective of the research is to analyze how transparency can influence the population's trust in government institutions, investigating how the disclosure of information, social control and accountability increase the legitimacy and effectiveness of public policies. The methodology adopted was based on a literature review and document analysis, with an emphasis on Brazilian legislation — especially the Federal Constitution, the Access to Information Law (LAI) and the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) — in addition to examining judicial decisions and recent academic studies on public management models, compliance and social participation mechanisms. The results show that the effective implementation of transparency practices, both in active (initiative of the public power) and passive (meeting citizens' requests) formats, strengthens social control mechanisms, enhances trust in the public sector and prevents corrupt practices. The study also highlights the importance of aligning transparency, data protection, governance, and compliance programs so that public policies are truly effective and sensitive to social needs. It is concluded that the development of an institutional culture focused on publicity, access to information and the participation of society is crucial for the strengthening of democracy, the construction of active citizenship and collective responsibility in public administration.