Transparency of sustainability information in local governments: English-speaking and Nordic cross-country analysis

This paper analyses the practices of disclosure of sustainability information by European local governments, with specific reference to the websites of major European cities, classed as Anglo-Saxon (English-speaking) or Nordic, according to the prevailing administrative culture. The empirical results obtained show that the local governments analysed are using their websites to disclose information regarding sustainability policies, a trend that is more pronounced in the Anglo-Saxon countries than in the Nordic ones. Our conclusions show that the respective traditions of these countries may influence their development of practices of transparency and accountability with respect to sustainability. We have identified some steps to improve the transparency about sustainability in local governments, and have designed a model sustainability report, identified the types of stakeholders and studied their information needs.