Does the mayor’s profile influence intellectual capital disclosure? Empirical evidence from Italian local governments

This study investigates to what extent certain mayor’s personal traits affect the level of intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) provided by local governments (LGs). To this end, a disclosure index is developed, and a subsequent regression analysis is estimated on a sample of 141 large Italian LGs. The results indicate that Italian LGs led by female and left-wing mayors are more inclined to enhance their online transparency regarding intellectual capital (IC). In contrast, they demonstrate that the mayor’s age and level of education do not affect the level of ICD disseminated by LGs through their websites. This study provides different contributions to existing literature. Firstly, it extends prior IC research by offering contemporary evidence of how Italian LGs deal with IC transparency issues through their websites. Secondly, it contributes to LGs’ transparency literature, deeply delving into the role of the mayor’s characteristics in determining online ICD practices.