STAP International Journal of Accounting and Business Intelligence

ISSN: 3105-3726

Public-Sector Governance Reform in Saudi Arabia (2020–2025): Legal Modernization, Digital Innovation, and Accountability Outcomes

by 

Suliman Al-Sadan

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Published: 2025/08/13

Abstract

This study investigates the transformation of public-sector governance in Saudi Arabia between 2020 and 2025 through a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative performance indicators with qualitative legal and institutional analysis. Quantitative data from the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) and Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reveal continuous improvement in key governance dimensions—Government Effectiveness, Regulatory Quality, Rule of Law, and Control of Corruption. Between 2017 and 2022, WGI percentiles for Government Effectiveness and Regulatory Quality increased by nearly 10–12 points, while Saudi Arabia’s CPI score rose to 59 in 2024, ranking 38 of 180 countries. Complementary qualitative analysis of the Basic Law (A/90), Government Tenders & Procurement Law (2019), and Anti-Bribery Law (2021) demonstrates that legal modernization, digital transformation, and anti-corruption enforcement are mutually reinforcing. The establishment of Nazaha, Adaa, and the Digital Government Authority (DGA) operationalizes reform through performance measurement and interoperable digital platforms. Evidence from the OECD Digital Government Index (2025) supports the mediating role of digital governance, showing that proactive, data-driven systems enhance transparency and accountability. The integrated results confirm a Hybrid Governance Model in which rule-based legal reforms provide legitimacy, digital capacity mediates policy execution, and integrity institutions moderate compliance. Policy implications highlight the need for continuous legal updating aligned with global standards, expansion of digital interoperability, and institutionalization of preventive ethics. Overall, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reforms represent a coherent model for sustainable, data-driven public-sector excellence.

Keywords

Public-sector governanceVision 2030legal modernizationdigital transformationanti-corruptionSaudi Arabiaaccountability

Public-Sector Governance Reform in Saudi Arabia (2020–2025): Legal Modernization, Digital Innovation, and Accountability Outcomes is licensed under CC BY 4.0CCBY

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