Map of institutional advertising in autonomous Spain: Legal framework and systems for accountability

Abstract

This paper analyses the legislative situation and accountability of the Spanish autonomous communities in terms of institutional advertising. On the one hand, a comparison is made of the thirteen regional laws that have been enacted between 2000 and 2018, taking into account the party in government at the time of their approval, their scope of action and the accountability instruments they provide for. On the other hand, compliance with 14 indicators on public access to data on this item is assessed based on the content analysis of transparency portals. The results show differences in jurisprudence - four regions still lack legislation - and varying degrees of transparency obligations, although there is not always a direct relationship between legislative development and ease of access to information. The most demanding legislation is the one developed by Valencian Community (2018), while the most complete portals are those of Castilla y León, Navarra, Extremadura and the Basque Country. Communities such as Madrid, Cantabria and Galicia stand out for their shortcomings, both in terms of regulations and easy access to information. This heterogeneity represents an inequality in the right of access to information for Spanish citizens and highlights the need to review the regulatory framework in order to update it.