Dr. Margarita (Rita) Barer, CPA, Adv.
Dr. Margarita (Rita) Barer
CPA, Adv.
About Myself
I am Dr. Margarita (Rita) Barer, CPA and Attorney, a researcher, lecturer, and public-sector professional whose work bridges academic research and public-sector practice. My academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of public governance, transparency, local government, public administration, and citizen–government relations.
I hold a Ph.D. in Management from the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. My doctoral research examined transparency in local government from multiple perspectives, including citizens’ demand for transparency, transparency in public decision-making, and the organizational factors that facilitate or constrain transparent governance.
My educational background also includes an LL.B. in Law from Sapir Academic College, an M.A. in Economics from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, a Diploma in Accounting from Bar-Ilan university, and a B.A. in Economics from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Alongside my research, I teach in the fields of transparency and public governance. I currently serve as a lecturer at the Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College, where I developed and teach the course “Transparency in the Public Sector in the Digital Age.”
Professionally, I serve as Deputy Southern District Commissioner at the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. My work focuses on local government, public administration, regulation, elections, and the implementation of government policy at the municipal level. The combination of academic research and extensive public-sector experience informs my interest in how governance operates in real institutional settings and how research can contribute to improving public administration and policy.
About Myself
I am Dr. Margarita (Rita) Barer, CPA and Attorney, a researcher, lecturer, and public-sector professional whose work bridges academic research and public-sector practice. My academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of public governance, transparency, local government, public administration, and
citizen–government relations.
I hold a Ph.D. in Management from the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. My doctoral research examined transparency in local government from multiple perspectives,
including citizens’ demand for transparency, transparency in public decision-making, and the organizational factors that facilitate or constrain transparent governance.
My educational background also includes an LL.B. in Law from Sapir Academic College, an M.A. in Economics from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, a Diploma in Accounting from Bar-Ilan University, and a B.A. in Economics from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Alongside my research, I teach in the fields of transparency and public governance. I currently serve as a lecturer at the Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College, where I developed and teach the course “Transparency in the Public Sector in the Digital Age.”
Professionally, I serve as Deputy Southern District Commissioner at the Israeli Ministry of the Interior. My work focuses on local government, public administration, regulation, elections, and the implementation of government policy at the municipal level. The combination of academic research and extensive public-sector experience informs my interest in how governance operates in real institutional settings and how research can contribute to improving public administration and policy.
Research Interests
My research focuses broadly on transparency and public governance, with particular interest in how institutional arrangements, organizational practices, intergovernmental collaboration, and citizen–government relations shape the quality of governance and public decision-making.
My research interests include transparency and accountability, public governance, local and multi-level governance, public administration, citizen attitudes and demand for transparency, transparent decision-making, collaborative governance, public trust, institutional and organizational drivers and barriers to transparency, and the role of digital technologies in public governance.
A central theme across my work is the relationship between institutions, transparency, collaboration, and public trust. I am particularly interested in understanding how transparency can move beyond formal disclosure to become a meaningful governance mechanism that supports informed decision-making, accountability, collaboration, and effective citizen–government relations.
My research draws on perspectives from public administration, management, law, and public policy and employs both qualitative and quantitative research methods. My current work also explores collaborative and multi-level governance, with particular attention to the role of public-sector institutions and middle-level actors in facilitating cooperation, knowledge sharing, and effective policy implementation.