Modelling Municipal Social Responsibility: A Pilot Study in the Region of Extremadura (Spain)

• Main Authors: Maria Isabel Sánchez-Hernández, Manuel Aguilar-Yuste, Juan José Maldonado-Briegas, Jesús Seco-González, Cristina Barriuso-Iglesias, Maria Mercedes Galán-Ladero
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: municipal social responsibility; place marketing; public administration; public management; social responsibility; sustainability
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/17/6887

Social Responsibility in the Public Administration is an emerging phenomenon responding to the challenges and opportunities for public institutions faced by the rapidly evolving world. The general and ambitious global goal of sustainability is at risk because inequality is increasing among countries, but also within countries at the regional and local levels. Facing this problem, the aim of this paper is to approach how the social responsibility of local governments is impacting citizens’ participation as a way of managing the required transformation to sustainable development. In order to contribute to seed light in the field, a pilot study was carried out, employing partial least squares as an exploratory method, with an ad hoc structural equation model, and with a sample of 256 inhabitants in three municipalities in Extremadura (Spain). The findings are promising for place marketing, local public management and democracy reinforcement because it is empirically demonstrated that the municipality’s orientation towards responsibility impacts citizen´s connection, attraction, and identification with the municipality, increasing citizen participation.