Bidirectional Models of Public Relations and Municipal Communication. Analysis of the Portals of Transparency and Citizen Participation in the Municipalities of More Than 10,000 Inhabitants of the Valencian Community

Information and communication from public institutions is a duty towards citizenship and also a citizenship right. Legislation on transparency and participation has led to the creation of portals that should be key tools in the development of bidirectional public relations models that facilitate citizens' participation. The research analyzes the portals of transparency and participation of the city councils of the Valencian Community in order to probe whether they enhance dialogue and participation. An analysis of categorical content is carried out following the methodology of Mapa Infoparticipa, establishing variables of analysis and categories focused on the indicators related to bidirectionality in transparency and citizens' participation. Compliance is observed under both unidirectional (67% fail to comply) and bidirectional (56% fail to comply) indicators. We conclude that there is a coexistence between unidirectional and bidirectional models of public relations in the Valencian city councils, and transparency and citizen participation. The size of the municipality affects the compliance of both unidirectional and bidirectional indicators. With regard to bidirectional indicators, the promotion of participation is higher than that of transparency in larger municipalities, which could be related to a greater presence of bidirectional models.