Did you know that Burgas residents can give feedback on the quality of their local government’s work at any time, and their assessments are analyzed every six months and published on the municipality’s website? Users of the services of local institutions in the city of Stara Zagora can send signals, evaluate the institutions’ work, and ask questions via an online platform set up for the purpose.
One way to encourage Bulgarian cities to improve the services they provide to their residents is to communicate their successes and failures publicly. The Local Integrity System index, published annually by Transparency International Bulgaria, evaluates local government work on a six-point scale, ranging from excellent (6) to poor (2). The evaluation is based on an in-depth study of local institutions, which takes into account nine key local actors: city council, mayoral office, city administration, political parties, judicial authorities, police, the business sector, the press, and civil society.
Evaluating these institutions publicly enables citizens, civil servants, and politicians to establish how transparent, accountable, and honest they are and compare them based on measurable indicators, the way they are managed, and their contribution to the local community rather than on abstract and subjective criteria. The index encourages positive competition between cities and has helped introduce anti-corruption policies and reform local institutions. A good example is the city of Kardzhali, which was ranked as one of the least transparent local governments in Transparency International’s first annual index. This motivated the local administration to adopt a code of ethics two years later and address some long-neglected political issues.
More than 20 local NGOs nationwide apply the Local Integrity System as a tool for vigilance and civil advocacy. At the same time, the dialogue between local councils, civil servants, and members of civil society has received new impetus.
