From transparency to Easy Governance: A review in the light of plain language

Abstract

Ever since the implementation of the electronic Administration some weaknesses have been detected. These have been emphasized during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the extension of digital dynamics.

Despite the close relationship between electronic Administration and transparence (such as the observance of the active publicity principle), it has been verified that the Public Administration is perceived as obscure and many citizens may even renounce to exercise their rights as a consequence of not understanding the necessary procedure or the messages they are being transmitted.

In this context, a clear language becomes paramount to ensure that citizens have access to their right to understand, right which stands as the primary factor in an effective democracy.

This article describes the conceptualization and impact of a clear language in the judicial- administrative sphere and its impactful transcendence, specially in terms of universal accessibility, within the electronic Administration field. To this end, after a theoretical fundamentation of the different notions which interact when facing this challenge, a casuistic methodology has been employed analyzing the different Spanish administrations with the aforementioned right to understand as guide and objective.