The Impact of Local Governance on Citizens’ Institutional Trust: The Sequential Mediating Roles of Transparency and Municipal Service Quality in Algeria

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the relationship between local governance and institutional trust among citizens while testing the sequential mediating role of transparency and municipal service quality in explaining this relationship within the context of Algerian municipalities. The study adopted a quantitative approach using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), based on data collected from 319 citizens across 26 municipalities in Jijel Province. In the final model, local governance was represented as a second-order latent construct comprising responsive and procedural dimensions, while transparency, municipal service quality, and institutional trust were modeled as first-order latent constructs.
The structural model results revealed positive and statistically significant relationships between local governance and transparency, transparency and municipal service quality, and municipal service quality and institutional trust. Furthermore, the analysis of indirect effects using the Bootstrap technique supported the sequential mediation pathway linking local governance to institutional trust through transparency and municipal service quality. Within the limitations of the cross-sectional design, these findings suggest that the relationship between local governance and institutional trust can be understood through a gradual institutional and service pathway. In this pathway, local governance practices are linked to transparency and municipal service quality, which is consistent with the theoretical framework proposed by the study.