How can technology improve government financial transparency? The answer of the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL)

The aim of the article is to conduct a theoretical analysis concerning the role that XBRL – eXtensible Business Reporting Language – a digital and open standard more and more widespread all over the world for business disclosure, could play within governmental financial reporting. Literature about that is poor, and this research topic seems to be particularly relevant: considering the strong need for governments’ information transparency strengthened by the fiscal crisis, XBRL could be a useful digital standard to push and improve governments’ accountability and information transparency and comparability, also to prevent or avoid future crisis. This issue needs specific research because the role of XBRL within governmental financial reporting is partly different to the role of XBRL in corporate disclosure.