About Myself

I am Margarita (Rita) Barer, my journey has been marked by a passion for learning and a commitment to various fields, including academia, law, economics, and accounting. Currently, I’m a Ph.D. Candidate in Management at Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business & Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, focusing on researching transparency in local governments.

My educational journey has been quite diverse:

  • LL.B. in Law from Sapir Academic College, Israel
  • Master of Arts in Economics from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. My thesis, titled “Multiple Variable Beta,” was supervised by Prof. Shalit Haim
  • Diploma in Accounting from Bar Ilan University, Israel
  • Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

In addition, I am a lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, delivering lectures for the course “Transparency in Local Government: Between Routine and Crisis”.

In the professional world, I am a Public Servant at the Ministry of Interior, Israel, taking on responsibilities as Deputy Southern District Commissioner. My work involves assisting the District Commissioner in implementing office policies in the municipal field, with a particular focus on local government, elections, and local authorities.

About me

I am Margarita (Rita) Barer, my journey has been marked by a passion for learning and a commitment to various fields, including academia, law, economics, and accounting. Currently, I’m a Ph.D. Candidate in Management at Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business & Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, focusing on researching transparency in local governments. My educational journey has been quite diverse:
  • LL.B. in Law from Sapir Academic College, Israel
  • Master of Arts in Economics from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. My thesis, titled “Multiple Variable Beta,” was supervised by Prof. Shalit Haim
  • Diploma in Accounting from Bar Ilan University, Israel
  • Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

In addition, I am a lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, delivering lectures for the course “Transparency in Local Government: Between Routine and Crisis”.

In the professional world, I am a Public Servant at the Ministry of Interior, Israel, taking on responsibilities as Deputy Southern District Commissioner. My work involves assisting the District Commissioner in implementing office policies in the municipal field, with a particular focus on local government, elections, and local authorities.

Doctoral Research

Democratic countries recognize transparency as a fundamental component of governmental accountability. Members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have adopted regulations and legislation to promote transparency at various levels. Despite the widespread popularity of transparency in public discourse, research in this area remains primarily focused on municipal government.

This research seeks to address this gap by comprehensively examining transparency in local governments from multiple perspectives. First, it aims to investigate citizens’ perspectives by conducting qualitative research to explore their beliefs and attitudes toward local government transparency.

Secondly, the study delves into the transparency of multi-member decision-making within local governments, exploring the relationship between decision-making transparency and well-informed decisions.

Lastly, the research investigates organizational, behavioral, and psychological factors that influence transparency within local government authorities, including incentives, preconditions, and barriers.

Presentations in Conferences

2024

M. Barer, Y. Lurie, F. Yuval. Incentives, Preconditions, and Barriers to Transparency in Local Government Authorities. 81st Annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 2024, Chicago, Illinois.

4-7 April 2024, online participation

Barer, Y. Lurie, F. Yuval. Transparency of Decision-making in Local Government. Israeli Regional Science Association, Annual Conference, April 2024, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

16 April 2024, onsite participation

M. Barer, Y. Lurie. F. Yuval. Transparency in Local Government: Exploring the Citizens’ Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Transparency through a Systematic Review of the Literature. 8th Global Conference On Transparency Research, May 2024, Brussels, Belgium.

15-17 May 2024, onsite participation

M. Barer, Y. Lurie. F. Yuval. Decision-Making Transparency in Local Government. RSA
Annual Conference, Global Challenges, Regional Collaboration and the Role of Places, June
2024, Florence, Italy.

11-14 June 2024, onsite participation

2023

M. Barer, Y. Lurie, F. Yuval. Transparency in Local Government: Exploring the Citizens’ Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Transparency through a Systematic Review of the Literature. Israeli Regional Science Association, Annual Conference, February 2023, Ruppin Academic Center, Israel.

5 February 2023 onsite participation

M. Barer, Y. Lurie, F. Yuval. Transparency in Local Government: Exploring the Citizens’ Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Transparency through a Systematic Review of the Literature. Israel Political Science Association, Annual Conference: Politics & Democracy in an Era of Fateful Transitions, February 2023, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

23 February 2023 onsite participation

M. Barer, F. Yuval, Y. Lurie. Transparency of Decision-making in Local Government. 80th Annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 2023, Chicago, Illinois.

13-16 April 2023, online participation

M. Barer, F. Yuval, Y. Lurie. Decision-Making Transparency in Local Government. 6th International Conference on Public Policy, International Public Policy Association, Toronto 2023.

27-29 June 2023, online participation

M. Barer, F. Yuval, Y. Lurie. Transparency in Local Government: Exploring the Citizens’ Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Transparency through a Systematic Review of the Literature. 27th World Congress of Political Science, International Political Science Association, 15-19 July 2023, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

15-19 July 2023, online participation

  1. Barer, F. Yuval, Y. Lurie. Transparency in Local Government: Exploring the Citizens’ Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Transparency through a Systematic Review of the Literature. 62nd ERSA Congress, Urban Challenges and Sustainable Technological Revolution, European Regional Science Association, 28 Aug – 1 Sept 2023, University of Alicante, Spain.
  2. Barer, F. Yuval, Y. Lurie. Decision-Making Transparency in Local Government. 62nd ERSA Congress, Urban Challenges and Sustainable Technological Revolution, European Regional Science Association, 28 Aug – 1 Sept 2023, University of Alicante, Spain.

28 Aug – 1 Sept 2023, onsite participation

2022
M. Barer, F. Yuval, Y. Lurie. Transparency in Local Government: Exploring the Citizens’ Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Transparency through a Systematic Review of the Literature. 79th Annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference, April 2022, Chicago, Illinois.

7-10 April 2022, online participation

M. Barer, Y. Lurie, F. Yuval. Transparency in Local Government: Exploring the Citizens’ Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Transparency through a Systematic Review of the Literature. SPA Social Policy Association, Annual Conference, Inter-generational: Challenges and Prospects, July 2022, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom.

6-8 July 2022, online participation

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