Internet use for social control and participation: What are local governments doing in Latin America?

Abstract

This paper will show the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in local governments of Latin America to support electronic governance based on the Internet. The paper methodology of analysis is divided in two steps: i) Series of case studies from local governments in Latin America based in structured inspection sites. ii) Analysis and identification of features in these governmental websites found (forums, transparency portals, digital participatory budgeting and others) and its results in promoting the rights of to be heard, to participation on public management and social control of the government, both identified in a literature review carried out earlier. Therewith, from these rights an assessment was made of the limits and possibilities from the features found of the websites. © 2010 ACM.