Avaliação da transparência passiva das universidades públicas do Nordeste brasileiro

The Access to Information Law (LAI) represents the realization of the right to access public information in Brazil. The law establishes the fundamental rules to ensure that society has access to information both proactively, through websites, and through requests made via the Citizen Information System (SIC). The present study aims to assess the level of compliance with the LAI in public universities in the northeastern region of Brazil, regarding the criteria set for passive transparency. This is a descriptive research conducted through documentary data collection with a qualitative and quantitative approach. The methodology adopted in the study is an adaptation of the Transparent Brazil Scale - 360° Assessment, created by the Office of the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU). Data collection was carried out through information requests sent through the SIC to each of the 35 institutions surveyed, and through systematic observation of the electronic platforms of the universities. The data underwent qualitative analysis, descriptive statistics, and the Mann-Whitney test. Based on the analysis of the results, it was concluded that 22 universities have a high level of transparency, nine are classified at a medium level, and four are categorized at a low level, with federal institutions demonstrating better performance compared to state institutions. The study revealed the extent to which the citizen information service has already improved in public universities and how much it still needs enhancement to fully meet the demands of society.