Profile of the municipalities of Paraná State, Brazil, concerning ICT infrastructure and use: a cluster analysis

Abstract

This study aims to identify the profile of the municipalities of Paraná State, Brazil, concerning the use and infrastructure of information and communications technology (ICT). For this purpose, a quantitative study was conducted using multivariate data analysis techniques. The data are secondary and were obtained through a Municipal Basic Information Study (MUNIC) conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in 2012. The main elements of the analysis were the ICT infrastructure of local governments and authorities, the internet access infrastructure of municipalities, e-administration and e-service resources, communication with the public, the accessibility of sites for people with special needs and digital inclusion. Socio-economic indicators were also used, including the Municipal Human Development Index (HDI-M), per capita income and population size. The main result was the identification of five distinct municipal profiles in terms of ICT use and infrastructure. The size of a town is not a determining factor for local governments to use and make web based services available to its citizens. Many towns remain lacking in basic infrastructure, with every profile showing different needs. As a result, there are a few strong patterns of e-government development and local conditions that could be treated as the foundation for some different policy packages that would be appropriate in these five situations.