MULTILEVEL ACCOUNTABILITY, LOCAL GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY, AND CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AS DRIVERS OF PUBLIC POLICY INNOVATION: A PLS-SEM APPROACH

Abstract

This study examines the structural relationships among multilevel accountability, local government transparency, citizen participation, and public policy innovation using a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed, with data collected from a representative sample of citizens. The measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability and validity, with all constructs meeting the thresholds for Composite Reliability (CR), Average Variance Extracted (AVE), and discriminant validity. The structural model results indicate that multilevel accountability and local government transparency exert significant direct effects on public policy innovation, while also indirectly influencing it through citizen participation. Citizen participation emerged as a key mediating variable, reinforcing the role of inclusive governance in fostering innovation. The model explains a substantial proportion of variance in public policy innovation, highlighting the importance of integrating institutional, informational, and participatory dimensions. The findings contribute to governance theory by providing empirical evidence of the interdependence between accountability, transparency, and participation in generating innovative policy outcomes. From a practical perspective, the study suggests that policymakers should adopt integrated governance strategies to enhance innovation capacity and public value creation.