Report+on+e Governance+in+Latin+America

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ICTs and Good Governance:

The Contribution of Information andCommunication Technologies to

Local Governance in Latin America

By Carlos [email protected]

NP - Ncleo de Pesquisa em Polticas PblicasUniversidade de Brasilia, Brazil

January, 2003
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................42. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK.............................................................. 9

2.1 Assumptions..............................................................................................92.2 Aspects considered.................................................................................102.3 Case Studies...........................................................................................112.4 Web site Studies .....................................................................................11

3. CASE STUDIES ............................................................................................133.1 Case Study: Brazil...................................................................................13

3.1.1 Introduction......................................................................................133.1.2 Municipality - SantAna do Livramento ............................................ 133.1.3 Municipality - Barra do Ribeiro ........................................................ 143.1.4 Municipality Guaba ...................................................................... 163.1.5 Experiences and reports..................................................................19

3.2 Case Study: Uruguay............................................................................. 253.2.1 Introduction......................................................................................253.2.2 City of Rivera ...................................................................................253.2.3 Experiences and Reports ................................................................ 26

3.3 Case Study: Peru ....................................................................................283.3.1 Introduction......................................................................................283.3.2 Municipality Lima ..........................................................................283.3.3 Municipality Villa El Salvador........................................................29

3.3.4 Municipality of Surco ......................................................................303.3.5 Experiences and Reports ................................................................ 323.4 Case Study: Ecuador .............................................................................. 41

3.4.1 Introduction......................................................................................413.4.2 Municipality Quito .........................................................................413.4.3. Municipality - Cantn Cotacachi .....................................................453.4.4 Experiences and reports..................................................................46

3.5 Case Study: Mexico ................................................................................ 503.5.1 Introduction......................................................................................503.5.2 Municipality Santiago de Quertaro .............................................513.5.3 Mxico City / Delegacin de Iztapalapa ..........................................563.5.4 Experiences and reports..................................................................59

4. COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PRESENCE OF GOOD GOVERNANCE60 FACTORS ON LATIN-AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE WEB SITES.......................60

4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................604.2 Methodology............................................................................................60

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4.3 Analysis and results ................................................................................ 62Tukey,s .....................................................................................................62

4.4 Conclusions.............................................................................................705. GUIDELINES FOR ELABORATING A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ICT

UTILIZATION................................................................................................ 725.1 Introduction .............................................................................................725.2 Background.............................................................................................725.3 Justification .............................................................................................735.4 Objectives ............................................................................................... 745.5 Assumptions............................................................................................745.6 Guidelines ...............................................................................................755.7 Target Population.................................................................................... 77

6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ................................................................ 807. BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................87

7.1 Digital Bibliography Eletronic Media ....................................................967.2 Digital Bibliography - Internet Sites ......................................................... 97ANNEX 1: GLOSSARY ...................................................................................103ANNEX 2: LIST OF INTERVIEWEES .............................................................121

List of Interviewees Brazil ........................................................................121List of Interviewees Uruguay....................................................................121List of Interviewees Peru.......................................................................... 121List of Interviewees Ecuador.................................................................... 122List of Interviewees Mexico......................................................................123

ANNEX 3: LIST OF SITES .............................................................................. 125

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1. INTRODUCTION

This work is a survey of the conditions for the use of ICT (Information andCommunication Technologies) in five countries in Latin America: Brazil, Uruguay,Peru, Ecuador and Mexico. In several municipalities, mayors, leaders and authoritieswere interviewed and many local organizations visited.

Both the factors determining good governance at the local level and theirrelatedness to ICT were examined in order to increase knowledge on this relationship.Aspects considered were: decentralization, citizen participation, transparency andgrassroots movements, alternative experiences, popular participation and social-movements networks

In interviews and group meetings information was collected on whether these

aspects were present or not in the communities or in government guidelines, andwhether, in some way, there was a link between these social expressions and the useof ICT. The research tried to evaluate the opportunity of, and the interest in, theimplementation of a Training Programme in order to make ICT use more effective andthereby to improve good governance involving all social actors.

Another point examined was whether certain factors were present or not in websites of Municipal Assemblies in some Latin American municipalities. These factorscould be conducive to the presence or absence of good governance. Some of thefactors of good governance adopted in this research took in consideration thepossibility of citizens to interact with their legislators and to obtain information onlegislative procedures. One hundred and twenty (120) municipal web sites wereanalyzed, focusing on the web sites of municipal legislative organs.

This research project's main task was to explore the link between ICT use andthe improvement of local good governance as found in Latin American municipallegislative and executive organs. The answer to this question necessarily involves thestudy of alternatives and possibilities of increasing good governance based on ICTuse. One of the proposals derived from this research is the formulation of a training

programme directed to personnel who will use ICT having in mind the improvement ofgood governance at the local level.

Today, society is demanding more transparency on the part of governments,more decentralization, more independence to express demands, desires, prerogativesand priorities. Citizen participation is one of the more important components of localgovernments where leaders are effectively concerned and engaged in the satisfaction

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of community needs. Independently of the size of populations or the importance ofgovernments, expressions such as itinerant government, participative administration,popular ombudsman, participatory budget and management have becomefrequently heard, spoken of and implemented in many municipalities.

Today, one can see that in many parts of Latin America popular participationand organized social movements in the process of governmental decision-makinghave increased, and one can see an effort to reach public decisions in co-operationwith the population.

All these instruments of management point to a common phenomenon whichis the possibility of consolidating and strengthening democracy in Latin America.Evidently, when one speaks of Latin America, one refers to a complex, heterogeneousset of countries with diverse experiences that cannot always can be compared.

However, these experiences point to common roads and similar behaviours. Digitaldemocracy is clearly one of them.

One can be partially optimistic that good governance will improve with ICTintroduction and expanded use. The presence of ICT is likely to invigorate politicalrelations by allowing direct citizen participation in government, by avoiding mediationsand by thus optimizing the representative process and expanding participativedemocracy.

One can also see how the use of these new management instruments, inaddition to increased citizen participation, is correlated with good governance. Thediscrepancy from which political structures in Latin America tend to suffer (withoccasional political variations) is well-known, so certainly many additional conditionsmust be met for good governance and effective institutional activity.

In this study, 'good governance' is understood to denote an interaction processbetween government and society. Good governance is safeguarded as long asgovernmental processes are transparent, individuals organize themselves, expresstheir priorities and demands to government offices. In other words, good governance

manifests itself in the successful interaction with the constituted powers mainly withthe legislative but also with the executive; at the same time, it requires thedecentralization of decisions and of institutions and budgets. The notion of citizenshiphas grown and has been stimulated in Latin America and it is certainly a basicprerequisite for good governance.

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It is clear that demanding popular movements are trying to participate indecision-making or in the management of decisions, and this is (whether we like it ornot) a new form of power-sharing. This is valid for both movements which are movingtowards power, and for those movements which already participate in power throughrepresentation by their leaders. Both types of movements have tried to reduce thecentralization of decision-making and to augment their participation in governments.

Conditions for good governance have improved with ICT use in the last fewyears in Latin America. This can be proved historically by a few examples, such as theuse of the press for political mobilization, the mandatory literacy campaigns, theexpansion of telephone, radio and TV networks, the increasing number of personalcomputers, and finally the spread of the world wide web allowing interactivity betweensociety and constituted powers.

Information technologies are the benchmark of the 20th Century and the mainfeature of the beginning 21st Century. The dissemination of their tools (computers,internet, mobile communication) has enabled society to achieve the necessaryinstruments to make knowledge accessible to the masses, and to augment productivityin industry, in agriculture, in services, and expanded cultural activity. The greatestchallenge of the information era is to avoid a gap between those who have and thosewho do not have access to the goods and skills required in the digital era. Informationtechnology can be a powerful tool for the development of a new critical andparticipation-oriented citizen consciousness.

One of the greatest challenges put on the agenda by technological innovation isthe narrowing of the 'digital gap'. If technology has provided huge advances, it has alsoaccentuated the distance between those who are (or can be) and those who are notyet prepared to use it. The 'network society' or 'information society' has been lauded byoptimists as enhancing the chances for growth and development through ICT. Theyare considered capable of improving social indicators, of offering new developmentopportunities, of strengthening democracies, and of improving the life of the poor inunderdeveloped countries and regions of the world. However, one should be alert. Theprofits of technological advances and their advantages for development have not been

equitably distributed, so the impacts of the new technologies affect the rich and thepoor countries in a different manner. Opportunities and benefits have been generatedbut also undesirable social risks. The disparities within and among countries areenormous and must not be accepted.

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However, they can be reduced by using ICT more intensively and in severalsectors of the economy. Its link to local good governance can best be illustrated by theexpansion of educational services, of distance learning, and of cultural activities; by

job incentives; by the expansion of judicial services and the control of justice; byincreasing citizenship, public safety, human rights and more interaction withauthorities; by the engagement of social groups; by the monitoring of public interestprojects; by access to consumer protection agencies; by a more adequate rendering ofservices to the handicapped; by expanding the services: Speak to us - Avoid waitinglines (banks, elderly persons, post office); by public safety (police, fire department);social security and assistance; information on the sources and uses of energy andalternative energy; health; public utility services (transportation, transit, housing), andso on.

ICT can be very useful for interacting with the legislative, obtaining information

on legislative operations norms, rights, monitoring of legislative proposals, actionspressurizing the legislature and contacts with representatives. For example, theconsultation of a 'proposals databank' according to type, number, author, issue, date,and other parameters, would facilitate a follow-up of the projects, of amendmentsmade, of related subjects, and it would allow to register through e-mail to receive dataon the progress of proposals of interest.

ICT can be used for rendering services to the public, such as obtaining generalcertificates, personal documents identity, commercial information, transfers,contracts, deaths, notary information, or facilitating the payment of taxes and dues. Inthe area of public safety, ICT can be very useful both in infrastructure solutions(equipment and personnel) and in building a network (including a database) forcombating drug trafficking and arms smuggling, as well as for the centralized control ofcriminals and border patrol operations.

Most importantly, ICT integration generates a democratization factor. ICTthemselves should be a means for creating mechanisms and policies conducive tolearning, a new technology facilitating the sharing of solutions among different levels ofgovernment and population.

The challenges brought about by ICT integration revolve on the question of howto allow the advancement of different segments of society toward innovation and theadaptation of new technologies in order to improve government processes and toreduce economic and social disparities. It is necessary to define public policies whichare capable of boosting ICT use, which itself contributes to social inclusion, theexpansion of human freedom, and the reduction of the digital divide. One thing is sure:

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the problem is less of a technical or economic nature, but more on the side of politicalwill and the desire for equality.

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2. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 Assumptions

The methodological framework of this research considered the well-knowncycle of the integration of new technologies into the public sector. Three differentsteps can be recognized in the use of information technologies in the public sector.Initially, expanded computer use is restricted to the management. This is still very oftenthe case: particularly in small communities, where the computerization of theadministration is the first step to ICT use.

The introduction of computers to public management has been the first step forthe modernization of mainly the internal services of the municipal executive bodies, i.e. the automation of administrative processes, which then facilitates the organization of

information by means of a classification process and which permits to make it availableto the public.

The second step is implanting e-government (electronic government); in otherwords, the rendering of public and governmental services to society via electronic (ordigital) media. Almost always this procedure is unilateral, i. e. from government tocitizen, and in the majority of the cases does not allow interactivity.

The third step, the primary object of this study, is the use of Information andCommunication Technologies ICT for good governance. ICT represents a decisivestep in the process of the democratization of public information and in the citizen-government-citizen interaction. Citizen-government interaction guarantees therecognition of the priorities and demands of the public, the responsiveness of thegoverning group, and the improvement of multiple operational aspects which areintertwined in government-citizen relations.

The introduction of ICT represents, thus, a new form of political relationship inwhich individuals in society and, among others, their representatives, social groups,social organizations, political organizations, pressure groups, can act directly on public

issues. ICT use as an instrument for better governance has also been stimulated bythe mediation of organized social movements.The isolated individual tends to make use of ICT only for personal objectives (e-

mail, chat, personal interest web sites, consulting commercial services, etc). However,within a social movement, or inside a participation mechanism run by some type ofsocial organization, the individual becomes involved in a finding process for informative

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material (be it of individual or of community interest) and in interaction withgovernment.

Therefore, accomplishing the three phases above is one of the means ofleading local governments towards the digital or the information society. This cycleallows the narrowing of the so-called digital exclusion or gap. Vast material on thesubject is offered on a number of web sites, a selection of which can be found at theend of this paper.

2.2 Aspects considered

Several municipalities were selected according to the criteria of geography andrepresentation so as to examine local good-governance characteristics and their ICT-

relatedness. Aspects considered were (as already cited in the Introduction)decentralization, citizen participation, transparency, basic social movement action,alternative experience, popular participation and social movement networks.

Interviews and group meetings were the first step to detect whether or not theseaspects were present in the community or in the government guidelines, and if therewere links between these social expressions and ICT use. We also tried to assess theopportunity for, and the interest in, implementing training programmes for a moreeffective use of ICT in order to improve local good governance involving all thesesocial and political actors.

The concept of good governance varies in different Latin American countries.Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico present relatively distinct concepts for thisterm; this and a lack of classification or taxonomy covering different experiencesnecessitate the adoption of an operational definition of the term for our purposes.

One should also draw a distinction between the use that is made of this term inpublic administration and for official purposes from that in the press, by NGOs anduniversities. The importance attached to the differences here can be illustrated by an

example: in Ecuador there is great public interest today in making public informationtransparent, the public information is public, in publishing the budget completely, inmaintaining the budget integrally in the internet. This observation is also valid for Peru,where, on the other hand, there is a great concern for making bidding processes moretransparent, a concern that is in turn found in Ecuador as well. Generally speaking,many of these concerns are shared, e.g.: decentralization in Peru has been the objectof public discussion and occupies a relevant space in public administration. In Brazil

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legislation on public bidding for products and services already exists, including itsavailability on the internet.

2.3 Case Studies

In considering those aspects, five case studies were carried out regarding thecountries of Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico. The survey was done in twosteps: firstly, interviews with authorities, community leaders, representative groups(from the community), and directors of social and political organizations; secondly, anextensive collection of bibliographic material.

In Brazil, the relations between ICT and good governance were examinedthrough a field study in three municipalities of the State of Rio Grande do Sul:

SantAna do Livramento, Guaba and Barra do Ribeiro, interviewing the mayors, thepresidents of the legislative bodies, and other municipal leaders.

In Peru, a field study in Lima and neighbouring towns was the basis for ananalysis of ICT use. Some local institutions were visited, while authorities, andcommunity leaders were interviewed.

In Ecuador, field studies in Quito and the municipality of Cotacachi weredevoted to the connection between ICT use and the improvement of local goodgovernance. Data was collected by interviewing authorities and local leaders, as wellas by visits to local institutions.

The research in Uruguay was done in the city of Rivera, i.e. in the northernregion of the country bordering on Brazil, by interviewing the Intendente (mayor) ofRivera, and the President of the Junta Departamental(local legislative body) and otherlocal authorities.

In Mexico, research was done in Mexico City, in the city of Quertaro, and inthe Delegacion of Iztapalapa, in co-operation with local authorities and leaders.

2.4 Web site Studies

For the purposes of knowing whether or not the web sites of the legislativeassemblies of selected Latin American municipalities contain good-governance factors,it is assumed that the use of ICT and the improvement of good governance at the local

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level are indeed linked. Therefore, 'factors of good governance' as understood in thisresearch paper take into account whether and to what extent citizens can interact withthe members of the local legislative bodies and whether and to what extent they canobtain relevant information on the legislative and its work.

120 municipal web sites were scrutinized, giving priority to the web sites ofmunicipal legislative assemblies, including those of the capitals of the Brazilian Statesand some Latin American national capitals.

The research began with approximately 160 municipalities chosen by size andlocation, before it was found out that some 40 municipalities either did not have a website at all, or they were unreachable during the search. Finally, the web sites of 120legislative assemblies were evaluated:

101 web sites of municipal legislative bodies (84.2% of the cases);

sixteen web sites of bicameral federal parliaments (13.3%);three web sites of unicameral federal parliaments (2.5%).

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3. CASE STUDIES

3.1 Case Study: Brazil

3.1.1 Introduction

The relations between ICT and good governance in Brazil were analyzed byway of two different procedures. The first of which was based on field studies in threemunicipalities of the State of Rio Grande do Sul: SantAna do Livramento, Guaba, andBarra do Ribeiro where interviews with the mayors, the presidents of the municipallegislative bodies, and other municipal leaders were conducted.

3.1.2 Municipality - SantAna do Livramento

The Brazilian part of the research began in SantAna do Livramento in the Stateof Rio Grande do Sul. The Vice-Mayor of this city expressed his interest in matterssuch as information technologies for planning and budget formulation, citizenparticipation, a training programme and digital inclusion. The situation of ICT use inthis municipality is partially mirrored in his statements, as follows:

there is community participation in budget formulation, meaning that there iscitizen participation;

the introduction of a training programme would help borough and local leaders; there is no specific concern with digital inclusion, a contemporary problem; it is possible to improve the agenda through the introduction of ICT; however, it

is still too early for this process to begin; communication between the mayor and the people in SantAna do Livramento

happens directly and immediately (people talk directly to me in the streets); access to information from the municipal executive can be difficult; occasionally, information is released on agricultural issues; it is necessary to leverage development through information for and from the

municipal executive.

Going into the details of his statements, one can confirm that populationinitiatives occur through person-to-person interaction. Consequently, increased ICTuse could offer incentives to citizen participation and make the local community moredynamic. The Vice-Mayor stressed that personnel training would be essential for hisadministration. The municipal executive is still in the first phase of ICT use so as tomodernize its management and to increase the capacity for interaction and

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communication with the rest of the community. In our talks with the Assistant Secretaryfor Planning of SantAna do Livramento, it was confirmed that the process of electronicaccounting and the creation of a web site are located within the framework of e-administration.

Equipment and material, technical and personnel constraints were the issuesraised in a meeting with the President of the Legislative Chamber of SantAna doLivramento. He was very interested in a training project, and it is clear to him that sucha project would promote citizen participation. According to him, citizen participationtoday only occurs through individual demands and personal contacts.

The Municipal Legislative Chamber uses the radio to diffuse its proposals,perhaps because of the small number of public workers. Radio is widely used tocommunicate with the population. The President of the Chamber recognized the need

for formation and training, without which it would not be possible to employ ICTfacilitating the follow-up of legislative procedures. Civil servants must also be trained.All members of the Chambers have a computer and a printer on the premises of thelegislative body, but they do not have internet access.

The President of the Chamber suggested that a training programme for thepopulation could use mobile units (trucks or vans) with instructors and pertinentequipment in different boroughs of the city. This would solve the problem of mobilizingpeople and would stimulate public participation at a lower cost.

3.1.3 Municipality - Barra do Ribeiro

The Mayor of Barra do Ribeiro (Rio Grande do Sul) emphasized the difficultiesin modernizing his administration that contradicts his own interest in the matter but isbrought about by the resistance of the public servants and the residents. He intends tocomputerize the municipal executive, including an internet site informing the public onevents, courses etc., and to publish a bulletin on line, making the municipal budget andother information transparent to the public. He thinks that ICT use would foster the

democratization of information, but today such an endeavour is prevented by the highcosts of equipment.

Convinced that everybody will have to computerize themselves and todiminish resistance to this process, the Mayor suggested that citizens should firstbecome familiar with the new technologies in a very general sense and develop an

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idea of their openings for access and participation, before courses and training areprovided.

According to the interviewee, there is no public consciousness of, or discussionon, the phenomenon of digital exclusion. In his opinion, the citizens of Barra do Ribeirothink they "are out of the world", unbound by its rules and its market; he speaks of avoluntary exclusion on the part of the citizens of his town.

In order to reinforce his hypothesis, the Mayor states that he is confrontingmany difficulties in training professionally the public servants of the localadministration, in modernizing his administration and in creating the idea that decision-making starts with proposals from the community.

Besides public servants great resistance to the introduction of computers, he

referred to yet another difficulty: there is no control of tax payers, of who pays or whodoes not pay the city property tax (Imposto Predial e Territorial Urbano - IPTU),because the municipal administration is not capable of issuing tax-payment slipseffectively. Two years ago, there were only four or five computers for all theorganizational sub-divisions (secretariats) of the municipal administration, but only oneperson could handle them (with difficulties). Today there are 24 computers, butmaintenance remains a problem. The local executive is determined to fullycomputerize, to create a network intranet, and to reduce the resistance offered bycitizens and public servants alike by making computers seem less unfamiliar andafterwards through training and courses. However, a "Master Plan of Computerization"in the municipality has still to be designed.

A web page is under construction for the municipality containing promotionmaterial on events, information from the secretariats, a bulletin publicizing the budget,project summaries, space for publicity and links.

If one considers the high costs of hardware and software equipment and bearsin mind that computers are conceived for individual use, it is understandable that ICTuse for the purposes of citizen participation is still difficult in this municipality.

Nevertheless, there are plans for installing a computer at municipal executive office forcollective use by the public.

The interviewee, who is also the President of the Mayors Council of the Stateof Rio Grande do Sul, mentioned the necessity for all of his State's mayors to becomemore conscious about the need for computerization and training municipal servants; he

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recognized, however, the difficulties in implementation owing to the high costs ofequipment.

He believes that only rarely do mayors base their decisions exclusively onmanagerial or administrative aspects. Most of the decisions are political, and becausemost of the municipalities are small, friends, relatives, close friends influence decision-making. He thinks it is necessary to increase the number of professional managerswithin the administration. Computerization is fundamental and will provide a stimulusfor public servants to become professional.

Research results for the Municipal Legislative Chamber of Barra do Ribeiroshow the low level of technology use in the municipality. The Chamber does not havea web site of its own, but it intends to use the web site of the municipal executive boardthat is still under construction. The Chamber has in mind to provide computers for the

public to access ICT, but its budget is too small to acquire these technologies andprovide the services.

It can be inferred from the interviews that there is a significant increase in thedemand for ICT training courses and that proper incentives provided localresidents may soon profit from the openings for access and participation offered byICT. The public follows the activities of the Legislative Chamber through newspapersand direct contact with councilpersons, particularly in polemic issues.

The lack of professional training within the public service is just another of themany deficiencies that beset the municipal authorities of Barra do Ribeiro. At theChamber's offices, only little research is done in utilizing the internet. Governmentneeds to invest more money in order to increase the number of computers and makethem accessible to the population.

Few schools and a small number of people have internet access, but it wassuggested that mobilizing school children is the most efficient means to put thepopulation closer to ICT and therefore increase popular participation and to promoteparticipation and transparency.

3.1.4 Municipality Guaba

According to the Mayor of Guaiba (State of Rio Grande do Sul), a web site ofthe municipality exists, but it is dated and seldom visited. He intends to build a newweb site with accounting and budget reports and other information. There is a relatively

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high number of machines (90) installed, as the administration confusedcomputerization with just buying machines, without worrying about training publicservants on how to use them. These computers are used in a precarious manner, justsubstituting old typing machines. Health-service workers use the internet mostfrequently of all.

However, interest in training could increase even more through specificcampaigns; one could initiate motivation training for ICT use, followed by specializedcourses. In this town, resistance is already lower, complemented by a higher concernabout the dangers of digital exclusion.

The Mayor intends to double the number of computers in the wake of aprogramme on the administrative and financial modernization of the municipalities runby the Federal Ministry of Planning. ICT are needed as an efficient tool for improved

control over the municipalities. At the same time, providing internet access in librariesand health stations would bring ICT closer to the public.

More information will be available because of computerization. This is also trueof the local community, who will be empowered to perceive the real problems of themunicipal executive body (e.g. revenues and expenditures), since they could use thesetechnologies as a "channel", to monitor activities and to make suggestions orcomplaints.

People are looking for courses and hope to overcome digital exclusion. TheMayor stated that the local authorities needed to supply ICT training. However, themost important priority for the municipality is still to provide food for hungry childrenand dispossessed adults.

The Mayor recognizes ICT as a fundamental tool for improving local goodgovernance and firmly believes that a training programme increasing ICT use would benecessary.

There is no community radio programme, although he understands radio is an

adequate forum for society to express itself. There were a few clandestine radios, butnow all radios are in the state capital, Porto Alegre.

The Guaba Legislative Chamber is not capable of communicating with societyin a modern form. Newspapers and letters are still used for communication; however,there is a plan to install internet at the Chamber offices. The Mayor considers it anobligation of each member of the Chamber to make information on their activities

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available to the public in order to promote transparency. The political community ofGuaba does not know, for example, how to obtain information about the 2003 Budget.

In order to encourage and train people to use ICT, it is necessary to improveprogrammes and to raise more resources. One cannot use more technologies at theChamber simply because they are not available, but there are rising expectationsabout their use. ICT use by citizens could be encouraged so that the population couldlearn more about how public office holders work.

The President of the Guaba Legislative Chamber estimates that twenty percentof the Guaba population are aware of the importance of computers and have a notionof digital exclusion consequences. For the remaining eighty percent, encouragementprogrammes (such as clarification campaigns, school campaigns) could beimplemented by the local Legislature, thus including the whole society in this

modernization process.

The President of the Industrial Association of Guaba has no knowledge of ICTrelated programmes, but recognizes an improvement in computerization. They areanother means of communicating with society, he says, particularly in a society that isshort of channels of communication, therefore making direct communication a relief forlocal administration.

There are no local radios or TV channels. For the president of the IndustrialAssociation, all four local newspapers publicize too few pieces of information, and theyshould publish more information on the municipal executive.

Regarding the issue of exclusion, he said that schools and libraries should havethe responsibility of becoming public computer points where equipment could beinstalled and connected to the net for digital inclusion. He is also convinced that thecommunity would respond well to such an initiative, because the community alreadyuses the Industrial Association equipment, although in a restricted way. A well-draftedprogramme with a high factor of implementation and penetration would be a realalternative that would also enhance ICT accessibility and the computerization of the

population. He stressed the viability of such an initiative, however low the investmentsare today.

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3.1.5 Experiences and reports

3.1.5.1 The Executive - the Federal Government

At the federal level, an important initiative to reduce the "digital deficit" ofthe population was the creation of the Fund for the Universalization ofTelecommunication Services (FUST). The idea is to democratize telecommunicationthrough installing telephone lines and internet in public schools, post offices andlibraries, in addition to subsidizing the telephone bills of these institutions. Resourcesfor this Fund are obtained by charging a tax of 1% of the revenues of the telephonecompanies that operate the Brazilian Telephone System (fixed, portable and cable

TV), without altering the final prices paid by consumers.

An important investment of FUST is the Tele-Community Programme, whichplans to install 250,000 computers with internet access in 12,500 of the country'spublic high schools, thereby benefiting 6.6 million students. Telephone companies willbe responsible for the costs of connections, and the states and municipalities will beresponsible for the costs of training and adapting schools to the needs of computeruse.

The Federal Government intends to revolutionize computer use through publicschools with immediate consequences for community life. They will serve tocomputerize hospital services and public libraries: only the computer can provide thefacilities of a true and accessible public utility net at the reach of citizens.

Although the programme is being developed by the Federal Government, themain users are the States and, more importantly, the municipalities. ICT use today apowerful pedagogical tool almost exclusively available to private school students willbe extended to public-school students throughout the territory of Brazil: in each Tele-Community Project school there will be an internet access point.

FUST is of double advantage: it facilitates social investments in the areas ofeducation and health, and at the same time it serves as a stimulus and feed-backforum for the telecommunication and computer industries.

The National Programme of Computers in Education (Programmea Nacional deInformtica na Educao - PROINFO) is an educational programme which considers

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the introduction of new information and communication technologies in public schoolsas a tool in support of the teaching-learning process. This is an initiative of the Ministryof Education and is developed in partnership with the State governments and somemunicipalities.

The guidelines are established by the Ministry of Education and by the NationalCouncil of the Education Secretaries of the States. In each unit of the federation thereis a State Commission of Computers in Education responsible for the introduction ofICT in public elementary and high schools. ICT are increasingly present in day-to-daylife, in varying degrees of interaction. PROINFO is an educational programme whosedevelopment started in 1997 and whose main objective is to integrate distancecomputerization (telematics) into pedagogical practice, making it a strong ally to spuran innovation process within the school environment and thus to improve the teaching-learning process. Other objectives are to promote educational approaches taking into

account the scientific and technological progress and to prepare students forcitizenship and participation in a developed society.

The TELENCENTROS(Telecenter for Information and Business) are based ona joint-venture of the Federal Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade withbusiness entities, dedicated to the creation of a business-friendly environment.Persons and companies have access to several opportunities: training, consulting,electronic commerce, WEB information search, and to public and private services inthe electronic media. The Telecenters for Information and Business will be installed inrepresentative micro-business entities and small-size companies. This model aims atthe so-called digital alphabetization of these entrepreneurs, as well as at assistingthem in mastering computer applications and Web navigators. The programme'sprincipal objectives revolve around help for micro-business and small-companyentrepreneurs in their businesses, the empowerment of the population to exert theircitizenship rights, and the reduction of the technological distance that separates microand small business from bigger companies.

3.1.5.2 The (Federal) Legislative

The federal legislative organs also have experiences with ICT use and itsadvantages for good governance and for channelling society's demands.

The Interlegis programme is an initiative for the modernization and integrationof legislative organs at the federal, state and municipal levels. It is based on apartnership of the National Congress (the Federal Parliament) with the IDB Inter-

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American Development Bank, which began in 1997 and whose objective consists inpromoting greater transparency and interaction with society.

New information technologies such as the internet, video-conferences and datatransmission facilitate communication and the exchange of experiences among thelegislative organs (National Congress, State Legislatures and Municipal Chambers)and between the legislative branch of government and the public, increasing popularparticipation in the legislative process.

The Interlegis web site (www.interlegis.gov.br) is like a "meeting point" of theFederal Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Union Accounts Tribunal, the StateLegislative Assemblies, the Municipal Chambers and the citizens. The StateAssemblies and some Municipal Chambers already have CIP pools, in which 20computers and a printer are connected to a network, and special rooms prepared for

video-conferences, in which federal and state deputies, municipal legislators,legislative staff and the community can debate live issues that interest society.

This low-cost system provides for the exchange of experiences, distanceeducation and the discussion of national problems among legislative members. Noother country has such a communication and integration process. Interlegis providesdistance education, creates a channel of communication among legislators at alllevels, democratizes the access to information needed for the legislative process,develops computer technologies to support the modernization of the legislative and isa powerful link between legislators and society.

The Senate TV station was created in 1996 to promote institutionalbroadcasting for the Federal Senate and to offer citizens educational and culturalquality programmes. It covers all plenary sessions of the Federal Senate and of theNational Congress, as well as the meetings of permanent and temporary committees.Normally, pictures are also made available to regular commercial TV stations, in realtime, via satellite. The legislative activity is the most important part. Newscasts explainsenators positions on issues and show clearly how proposals which change the day-to-day life of citizens go through the Senate. All weekdays long, "institutional videos"

explain the internal structure of the Senate.

The TV Cmara (Chamber of Deputies) began operating on 20 January 1998,on a 24-hour basis. Basically of an informative nature, it televises the plenary sessionsof the Chamber of Deputies and the meetings of its committees live, and recordsmeetings to be re-broadcast when the Chamber recesses. All the activities of thedeputies are followed by journalist teams. In addition to making the activities of the

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Chamber of Deputies transparent, the TV Cmara intends to serve the promotion ofeducation and Brazilian affairs by broadcasting culture, arts, regional programmes. Itis a public TV programme, dedicated to citizenship and the information of the Brazilianpeople through the diffusion of ethical, moral, social, artistic and cultural Brazilianvalues.

3.1.5.3 The Judiciary

In 2002 Brazil experienced its largest democratic process ever the generalelections for the offices of the President of the Republic, of state governors, senators,state and federal deputies. This peculiar round of elections saw a very wide use oftechnologies in the processes of the voting itself and of the dissemination of theresults.

The electronic balloting process diminishes the chances of frauds, increasesthe transparency of the electoral process and consequently increases the legitimacy ofelected governments. Thus, electronic balloting is a technology inserted in thisresearch, even if indirectly, since legitimacy is indispensable for the good conduct ofaffairs of any government. Transparency of the elections increases the legitimacy ofgovernment, consequently increasing the political scope of the elected to obtain theapproval and implementation of their policies. One should take in consideration thatthe use of electronic ballots was widely debated by political actors (society, the threebranches of government, media, universities, NGOs) through tests, discussions,simulations, before the old electoral procedure was replaced. Even if there are somedoubts about the safety of electronic balloting, specialists hired by the SuperiorElectoral Tribunal (TSE) approved the new method.

The publicizing of the electoral results itself can be considered a legitimateinstance of ICT use in the interests of good governance at the local level.

If the counting process was quick, the same can be said of the dissemination ofthe 2002 electoral results. The co-ordinating Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE)organized an efficient net for issuing the electoral results. Both the provisional and the

final results of the several electoral contests were available through the TSE web site(www.tse.gov.br). In addition, any person equipped with an adequate laptop orcomputer was able to obtain the data almost in real time from their own home througha program called DivNet; the same being true of the final results.

The disclosure of the votes took place in a way that would allow for theverification of the number of votes received by any candidate for any position asclassified according to his or her electoral session or region. Voters, academics, the

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media, and society alike were able to follow up the electoral results in detail and insuch a way as to increase the transparency of the whole process. If transparencyimproves good governance and if information is an indispensable component ofpolitical education, the availability of electoral information is an instrument for theimprovement of good governance and thus of democracy.

The Brazilian experience with electronic voting machines was internationallyrecognized. The United Nations signed an agreement with the Brazilian governmentthat will facilitate the installation of the same technology in other countries that ask forelectoral assistance. One of the facts that impressed UN most was the fact that 115million Brazilians voted electronically without any accusations of fraud.

3.1.5.4 Civil Society

Transparncia Brasil(www.transparencia.org.br) was established in April 2000by a group of individuals and non-governmental organizations involved in the anti-corruption struggle. It is associated with Transparency International (TI), a Berlin-based unique international organization dedicated exclusively to combat corruption.

From an institutional point of view, Brazil has free elections, a freely electedCongress and an independent judiciary, combined with all the constitutionalguarantees of a typical representative democracy. However, political reality does notalways reflect formal institutional structures.

Corruption is evidently a problem in Brazil, as it is elsewhere. For organizationssuch as Transparncia Brasilcommunication is essential. One of the main tasks ofTBis to promote new ideas for combating corruption, with the internet being a stronginstrument to maintain TB's incessant interaction with local organizations. Informativematerial such as guidelines, project monitoring, local experiences, data on goodgovernance and corruption, databases, modalities of civil-society participation, casestudies on integrity systems can contribute to a dynamic supply of the informationneeded and to TB's endeavour of "disseminating", so to speak, integrity in the public

sector.

The Committee for the Democratization of Computerization (Comit deDemocratizao da Informtica - CDI) was founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1995. Theprincipal activity of the CDIis to create "Schools of Computer and Citizenship" (EICs),and to give individuals in low-income communities and/or with special needs access toICT. The course programme helps students to become aware of their living conditions.

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This means that students are stimulated to critically reflect their needs and theirstruggle for citizenship rights.

Each CDIis initially formed by a team of voluntaries, but in the end, a CDI canlegally become an NGO. It is thus capable of raising funds and forming partnershipswith several foundations so as to build a team of professionals solely dedicated to thedemocratization of computer use.

The CDI targets young residents of low-income communities, but the projectwas developed in a way that allows for its adaptation to the needs of diverseindividuals and groups, to local realities and needs, without loss of quality. Today,Schools of Computer and Citizenship can be found in correctional facilities for adultand juvenile deliquents, but also in mental institutions, in institutions for the hearingimpaired, and also in indigenous areas and others.

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3.2 Case Study: Uruguay

3.2.1 Introduction

The research done in Uruguay on ICT use and good governance and onopportunities for a training programme took place in the City of Rivera in the northernregion of the country, close to the Brazilian border. Both the Mayor of Rivera (theIntendente), the president of the Local Junta (the municipal legislative body) and otherlocal authorities were interviewed.

3.2.2 City of Rivera

The Mayor of Rivera (Uruguay) voiced his interest in an ICT training

programme, considering it relevant and appropriate for Latin America, particularly as afollow-up to the Digital Communal Centres (Centros Comunales Digitales) and theIbero-American NET (REDIberoamericana).

Rivera's Mayor was very receptive to the idea of an ICT training programme forseveral sectors. Systematic ICT use can lead to synergy with other on-goingcommunity projects, facilitating an increase in citizens participation in localgovernment activities. He was enthusiastic about the project particularly because it didnot only address technological aspects but also good governance, i.e. political factors.

Rivera's Mayor informed us that 28 borough-communities commissions hadbeen installed, which would have benefited more if ICT had been available, whichwould have increased their capacity for social and political participation significantly.

Digital inclusion is one of the concerns of Rivera authorities. The progress ofon-going files and cases of the local administration can be followed throughcomputers. In addition, Rivera is part of the Ibero-American NET of Digital Cities, soonto be complemented by six Digital Community Centres.

Several local factors already contribute to the operationalization of a personneltraining programme in Rivera, involving social and community actors in ICT use so asto increase decentralization and popular participation processes. One of these factorsis the existence of a computer labouratory providing courses through the Council forElementary Education (Consejo de Educacion Primria), a public organization incharge of basic education. Another factor was the recent inauguration of a branch ofthe Universidad de la Republica (the sole public university of the country); a third one

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is the a video-conference room available at the National Telecommunication Enterprise(ANTEL) is available.

The Mayor has installed an internal computer system which could be theembryo of an ICT-implanting process at the local level. A programme improving thequalification of public servants would be welcomed as they already have a certainfamiliarity with ICT usage.

In summary, an ICT training programme could build on existing infrastructureand qualified locals as well as the political will and the dynamic and entrepreneurialapproach of the municipal authorities. This programme would aim at increasing citizenparticipation, and, through it, increasing good governance at the local level.

The president of the local legislative body (Junta Departamental) pointed out

that there is a strong interest in the interaction between citizens and the legislature,where popular participation, ICT, political demands, and training for Junta personnelare discussed at length.

In Rivera citizens and deputies interact directly and personally. The municipaldeputies roam the Departamento (the geographical area of the municipality) and talkdirectly and personally with members of the community. Citizen demands andinitiatives are channelled exclusively through political parties. Each of the parties hasits own computer at the Junta offices for use by counsellors or advisors.

At the Municipal Legislative Chamber, only one of the computers has internetaccess. Resources being scarce, staff members are not yet familiar with ICT use in aworking environment.

The President of the Junta thinks that a project stimulating ICT should beimplemented as soon as possible. This would facilitate contact with Riveraspopulation, and would speed up interaction between municipal legislators andcommunity members. On the other hand, he stressed that the use of ICT will neverreduce the importance of political parties in citizen-legislature relations.

3.2.3 Experiences and Reports

3.2.3.1 Programme - ProWoman

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Among the social-inclusion programmes whose objectives could be fostered byICT use ranks ProWoman - Promotion of Equal Opportunities for Women Employmentand Professional Training Programme (ProMujer Programmea de Promocin de laIgualdad de Oportunidades para las Mujeres en el Empleo y la Formacin Profesional(MTSS - DINAE/JUNAE- Cinterfor/OIT)1.

The general objective of the programme is to promote a proactive employmentpolicy, particularly with regard to training, aiming at increasing the quality of women'slabour skills, having in mind the new qualifications called for by the labour market.

Specific objectives of the programme include the development of skills thatwould enable women to face the challenges of the labour market and to develop aproactive, adaptive attitude to the market, as well as guaranteeing their employabilityand presence in the labour market with a personal project through up-to-date

knowledge.

The programme's goal is to reach a 30% presence of participating women in themarket for each of the professional training courses and to improve by 50% theemployability of this population.

The programme is supported by Cinterfor/ILO (Technical Training Centre/International Labour Organization) and benefits from funds obtained from theFORMUJER - Regional Programme for the Strengthening Professional and TechnicalFormation of Low-Income Women in Latin America, co-financed by the IDB.

The municipal executive bodies are responsible for implementing theProgramme within the municipality in linking local actors and the population that wouldpotentially benefit from the programme. Enhancing opportunities in professionalformation, one can foresee that ICT skills could open up new possibilities foremployment for women, considering their multiplying capacity and the increase indigital inclusion particularly through education.

1 MTSS DINAE/JUNAE Cintefor/ILO - Ministry of Labour and SocialSecurity National Direction of Employment/Local Administration of Employment Technical Training Centre/ International Labour Organization

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3.3 Case Study: Peru

3.3.1 Introduction

In Peru, the analysis regarding ICT use and improvement of good governanceat the local level is divided in two parts: the first deals with a field study done in Limaand neighbouring communities. Local institutions were visited and interviews wereheld with authorities and leaders. The second part of the survey deals with a set ofexperiences and reports on ICT use in Peru.

3.3.2 Municipality Lima

Approximately 10 million people live in Lima and surrounding towns. The first

meetings took place at the Transitory Council of Regional Administration CTARLIMA. Interviews were held with the Technical Secretary, the Chief of InvestmentPromotion Regional Management, and the Chief of International TechnicalCooperation and Coordination. This Cooperation Unit organized a discussion withapproximately 30 representatives of social base organizations which focussed on theadvantages of, the opportunity for, and the alternatives of, introducing ICT in their dailyactivities and on implementing an ICT and good-governance training programme formembers of the local public service. This was a remarkable experience where allcould freely express their ideas and opinions about digital exclusion and the social andpolitical situation of Peru, particularly with respect to social assistance programmesand citizen participation.

In the City of Lima there were other meetings with several communityrepresentatives (Mothers Club, Popular Self-Managed Restaurants, Glass of MilkCommittee), where the focus was on the possibility of introducing ICT in routineactivities. They are, in fact, spontaneous initiatives of citizen organizations to renderservices to the community. Members of these organizations stressed the difficulties ofcommunication and the costs of infrastructure, the difficulties of and the high prices ofaccess to networks. Nevertheless, given the characteristics of their activities, these

citizen-participation initiatives could transform themselves into important bridges forICT use, especially to guarantee their communication with government and society.

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3.3.3 Municipality Villa El Salvador

This is a famous Lima barriada, and also an example of communitycollaboration. Many collective initiatives have led to an autonomous and safedevelopment of this urban zone on the outskirts of Lima, which has become today aworld benchmark of how collective effort can benefit the community. In addition tocollective work for housing and schools construction, for setting up collectiverestaurants, for organizing voluntary work, there is a strong concern for the modernityof ICT and with digital exclusion; in Villa El Salvador, education for the "society ofknowledge" is found everywhere.

An example of this concern for digital inclusion in Villa El Salvador is given bythe Faith and Happiness Secondary School, where a computer room is in operationfor children to learn how to use the internet. In doing so, they search for information

about citizenship and for information of community interest, such as geographicalinformation, projects of interest to the community, procuring school resources, publicinterest information, national and international co-operation.

In a meeting with Michel Azcueta, a member of the Municipal Council of Limaand a community leader himself, he reported his experiences with the process ofpopular participation during the creation of the borough Villa El Salvador. In a reportentitled Combate Global contra la Pobreza: las soluciones existen. La experiencia deVilla El Salvador (Azcueta, 2001) he writes:

information is fundamental. Within groups and societies orin regional or world realms. Thus, it is ever important to construct andto maintain open the access to information and, of course, tocommunication means and technologies. When we refer to strategiesto fight poverty, we do it with an integral vision, considering an adequatemanagement of information and of the means of communication at theservice of development, of the cultural dimensions, and of buildinguniversal relations distinctive from the existing ones.

In this same report (Azcueta, 2001) one can find some recommendations to

stimulate and to promote ICT use along the following guidelines:

Having in mind that practically all successful experiences in fightingpoverty start at the local level or with concrete social groups and then expand theirinfluence to wider levels.

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Respect for and development of citizen consciousness from knowledgeand the distribution of rights and obligations of each inhabitant of our unique planet.

To promote communication and information programmes within their

own social group with the objective of guaranteeing its cohesion and of strengtheningits identity. These programmes must result from specific work with journalists,communication experts, owners of means of communication, so that we generate anew vision of the problems of poverty. Even so, it is imperative to support allcommunity radio and TV stations that belong to local communities and minority socialgroups, because they represent concrete instances of power in the field of information,of communication, and of image, besides the use of new technologies (ICT), whichthese sectors use.

The Municipality of Villa El Salvador intends to be a productive district, a

solidarity community and a healthy town. The municipality has several objectives forits development, above all good governance. Good governance in the municipality ofVilla El Salvador can be improved through a pact between the local government andthe community for an effective and efficient management of the municipality. ICT usefor improving local good governance is a priority. In view of the resources that areavailable to the administration and to the population of Villa El Salvador, low-costalternatives and sophisticated means were employed as an attempt to enter the digitalworld.

3.3.4 Municipality of Surco

In Santiago de Surco, many subject matters were in the focus of the interviewswith local authorities held at the municipal executive office: decentralization,transparency, popular movements, support from this office to participatory movementswere among the issues discussed with the Chief of the Special Projects Office and withadvisors from the Alcadia (the municipal executive office). They reported on adultliteracy, citizen participation, and participatory budget programmes.

Examining the documentation of Surco one can find a concern with typicalissues of municipal administration, but also a tendency to use new technologies.Improved citizen safety through the use of radio or centralized information; urbandevelopment supported by greater transparency and the use of computer files tocontrol private companies executing public works; services rendered to the community(civil registration, and civil files); supply of services (itinerant rendering, kiosks forwaiting citizen are posts that could be computerized); attention to environmental

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education through ICT in schools; all these are on-going policies from the municipaladministration. Among the community services one should also stress employmentskills training (such as ICT training/formal educators, internet, TV Education), theMunicipal Children and Teenage Defense Service (DENUMA, where the ICT usefacilitates the organization and the implementation of the database, of registrations andcommunication in several social spheres; and ICT use in education controlling schoolevasion and student participation. Some suggestions are listed in the officialdocumentation Surco: a computerized and systematic municipal library catalogue; tocombat illiteracy with the help of ICT, such as School TV and other itinerant schoolswith modern equipment; another example is the Environment Bus, an environmental-education itinerant school, with ecological and educational nature walks for thechildren.

It is to be said that ICT-concerned social actors are as active in Surco as they

are in the rest of Peru. For instance, the Social Support Committee has as itsobjective the harmonization of the demands for social help, donations and voluntarywork, organization and citizen participation with ICT use, educational centres, literacyclasses (for elderly and young mothers), organizing the glass of milk project.Likewise the programme Serenazgo, an innovative public-safety system established inSurco, where municipal police functions are linked to citizen safety; to implement thisinitiative, central facilities with a computer (digital telephone centre, GPS) wereinstalled.

As for computerized services, the Municipal Executive Office is proposing aIntegrated System of Administrative Management, a Bidding Base Project, SystemOffices and Technological Support (local networks for general services); in addition, itcan help to follow up local-assembly bills and to improve ICT use in the control ofpublic accounts, for example, expenditures and receipts. This information ongovernment and services would be available through public telephones in the city.

Some of the programmes such as the donations to the needy in the South ofPeru and the donations from the citizens of Surco, Programme of Surcano VoluntaryWork, are examples of how ICT are an important instrument of demand identification.

The Municipal Promotion for Entrepreneurial Development Programme PROMDE -allows the design of programmes for implementing joint activities and making use ofdigital information to promote municipal management improvement.

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3.3.5 Experiences and Reports

3.3.5.1 On Decentralization

Decentralization was a key issue in a meeting with the chief Advisor of theMinistry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation. He has shown a great concern withthe issue, firmly believing that Peru is prepared for digital democracy once all currentconditions are favorable to install ICT to improve good governance. He belongs to theoptimist party of public administration believing that the conditions for stepping up tothe new technologies and for a reduction of the digital gap are there.

The Technical Secretary of the National Council of Decentralization alsodeclared in a meeting that there is a firm will in Peru but also some uncertainty as forthe procedures of decentralization. The government is promoting a policy of

decentralization and opening bureaucratic facilities for the reflection on, the planningand execution of decentralization.

The National Training Plan for the Strengthening of Regional and LocalGovernments2 is a compilation of norms that existed in 2002 and proposes to facilitatethe decentralization process by promoting more transparency at regional andmunicipal elections. People are convinced that transparency and freedom arestrengthened through knowledge and access to more democratic instruments.

The current Peruvian government has committed itself to initiate a process ofstructural reform of the State. In order to accomplish this objective, it modified thechapter on decentralization in the Constitution of Peru with the objective of establishingregional governmental bodies by introducing regional elections. This was done withthe Basic Organic Law of Decentralization (Law N 277822) that also determined theend of the Ministry of the Presidency itself.

In order to push decentralization in Peru, the government is now implementingthe Programme for the Development of Regional and Local Capacities forDecentralization Per Descentralizado through the Technical Secretariat for the

Decentralization Process. The Programme Per Descentralizado was developed toestablish provincial, district and departamentos capacities in order to fosterdecentralization. This process comprises four components:

concerted plans for departmental development

2 Ministry of the Presidency of the Republic of Peru, 2002.

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regional and municipal training and technical assistance local and regional funds for development local and regional connectivity.

The decentralization of activities creates local public policies adapted to thecontext of each locality. The objective of the programme is to contribute to thedemocratic reform of the country and to develop mechanisms capable of stimulatingnational development. This process involves training of public actors all along.Information and communication technologies (ICT) are used to acceleratecommunication among government entities and to promote citizen participation.

The Training and Technical Assistance Sub-programme encouragesmunicipalities to receive new functions and competencies. New tasks generate morelocal resources and investments; thus, the quality of life of the population may

increase. Courses, seminars, video conferences, and other forms of ICT use help toaccomplish that.

The Regional and Local Connectivity Sub-Programme basically consists in thetechnological modernization of public administration. This sub-programme's clearintention is to expand government interaction with other offices through electronicmeans. The Peruvian Government has signed an agreement with the Government ofQuebec (Canada) for a project design to that end. Results are yet unclear, but itseems very likely that decentralization, in combination with training and ICT use, canimprove the quality of life of the population and the development of democracy throughpopular participation, transparency and democratic control.

3.3.5.2 On transparency and means of communication

In meetings with the Peruvian Press Council and other representatives of thepress, the problems of access to public information, transparency, the role of the pressin obtaining public information and collective interest were discussed. Therepresentative of the Institute for the Press and Society stressed their vigilant anti-

corruption role and the role of other NGOs related to anti-corruption, as well as theopportunity to act together as focal points in an ICT training programme. He stressedthe function of the Veedurias Ciudadanas ("Citizens as mass media observers")organization .

The objective of the Veeduria Ciudadana is to monitor mass communication. Ithas already evaluated four TV programmes which emphasized political issues. The

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Veeduria Ciudadana is in support of a law that would make the social responsibility ofthe means of communication mandatory by promoting ethical and democratic policies.A National Council for Radio and Television would be created, attracting membersfrom civil society and from the State, to regulate, to conduct and to monitor operationsof the media. Of course, the promotion of social responsibility among businesspeopleshould be accompanied by other developments and responsibilities. By means ofthese and other topical proposals ICT can contribute to the construction of fullcitizenship.

When asked in which institutions there is particularly high or a very low degreeof participation or no participation whatsoever, the Peruvians affirm that localinstitutions and the press are more accessible than the national institutions. In acountry where a Law of Citizens Rights to Participation and Control existscommunication media can have a function of controlling power, promoting access togovernment decisions, including popular participation through debates and exposing

these decisions to public opinion and social demands.

The means of communication can diminish existing digital and politicalexclusion in society. The cultural exchange and the production of knowledge such asinteractivity, multimedia and hypertext supply new forms of acquiring knowledge. Butnot only these technologies can make a difference in training and in people'sparticipation. More accessible means, such as television, can convey knowledge, turncitizens more conscious and train them, depending, of course, on the contenttransmitted.

A seminar promoted by the Peruvian Press Council in Lima had as its maintheme the use of ICT for good governance. Strong concern for matters related totransparency and information was to be observed on the part of the Peruvian Press.The opening session of the seminar dealt with the Law of Transparency and Accessto Public Information, with participants from Peoples Defence and from the LegalDefence Institute. The presentation and discussion in the workshop Access toInformation and the Use of New Technologies treated exhaustively problems oftransparency and access to information in Peru using ICT. A second workshop dealtwith Transparency and Access to Information in the Hands of the State: the use of

new technologies and the pending agenda of transparency, participated by the Co-ordinator of the SYIAF Project - Integrated System of Financial Administration of theMinistry of Economy and Finances. After that, provincial cases were presented TheLine of Access to Information, by a representative of the Peruvian Press Council.Other matters treated were New Technologies of Information and Digital Journalism ,and Investigative Journalism and the New Technologies of Information.

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3.3.5.3 On citizen participation

Some Peruvian experiences have shown that there is a growing degree ofsocial participation in this country and that many of these experiences could becomeeven more attractive through ICT use. It is worth mentioning the The CitizenCaravan, which consists of an educational and communicative show promotingdebates on the democratic process in the country and on citizen participation. Theyuse a big, colourful cabin for people to come and express their wants and needs.Commentaries, show and tell and protests (grafichanga) are exposed in strategicpoints, in such a way that all see the complaints and needs of the population. There isa great clay pot where people can deposit suggestions, initiatives and proposals onhow to make authorities more accountable.

Another form of expression are the Educational Workshops where a groupreflects on citizenship culture, and promotes conscious, free and valid voting. Severaltowns of different "departments of the country hosted these workshops. Positiveresults were obtained as shown by the questionnaires filled in before and after theworkshops. In addition to this process of evaluation of how much the local populationhad learned in the workshop, each participant could express their opinion in a ballot,anonymously.

Opinions expressed in Educational Workshops ballots showed that Peruviansrecommend the following as mechanisms of consulting the population during decision-making: telephone, electronic mail, regular mail (21%), cabins and voting in public spaces (19%), the frequent organization of the public forum (19.1%). (MORENO, 2002)

Peruvians maintain that values such as respect to human rights, autonomy andindependence from the powers of the State, transparency and communication of theacts of government, decentralization of power, participation and citizen supervision,

well-developed political parties and efficient mechanisms of controlling the State, areindispensable for a Peruvian democracy.

A policy of the constant evaluation of supervision actions enabled theAssociation of Social Communicators Calandria to create a report showing theresults and the impacts of their activities. Programmes in which the population canvoice their thoughts created links between social demand and politics. People

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experienced dialogues with members of the legislative bodies and believed in theirown capacity of influencing them. Above all, the population hopes for goodgovernment as a result of their participation. It becomes evident that if these socialactors had new technologies, in addition to the social involvement process, they couldalso have access to organized information, have accelerated transmission ofknowledge, and, most of all, have the possibility of operating in networks.

3.3.5.4 The National Programme of Food Assistance PRONAA

The National Programme of Food Assistance (PRONAA) deals with foodsecurity through a food distribution programme with strong popular participation whichmanages the distribution of food at the national level. Besides having many channelsof communication with society through the Club de Madres (Mothers Club) and the

popular restaurants, this programme is creating a management committee open tothe community. It also intends to create a users commission and a beneficiariescommission. The PRONAA has a web site and is working on its improvement in sucha manner as to incorporate information technologies for the resolution of logistic andcommunication problems with society. Thus, PRONAA intends to solve itsprocurement problems and make the whole process more transparent given thenumber of transactions involved through on-line operation, publishing the biddinginvitation list for products and services on-line and direct buying from small sizeproducers.

In an interview with PRONAAs National Head Officer and his advisors it waspossible to confirm that PRONAA is a public, decentralized organism and tries toimprove dangerous nutritional situations. Infant population is PRONAAs priority as anutritional risk group as well as those in emergency situations and organized groups(Mothers' Club, Popular Self-Managed Restaurants, Campesinos Communities,schools and hostels). As for the improvement of good governance as understood inthis report, one of PRONAAs most important objectives is to promote the activeparticipation of the population in the execution of the programme, as well as in itssupervision and control bodies.

PRONAA aims at institutional strengthening in the acquisition processes,management and organizational restructuring, including budgetary, as well asintroducing principles of transparency, neutrality, and efficiency in institutions, makingintensive use of ICT. Main current activities are: the Infant Food Programme; theChildren and Adolescent Food Programme; the School Food Programme; the Popular

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Restaurants Programme; the Food for Work Programme; and the EmergenciesProgramme.

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3.3.5.5 The Huascarn Programme

The Huascarn Programme is a Peruvian government initiative for applying ICTto education in the period of 2002-2006. The programme was created in October 2001in the Province of Huancayo, Departamento of Junin. This education centre isrepresentative of how the Huascarn Programme works in remote areas of thecountry. Its objective consists in expanding and improving education in the Peruviancountryside by using ICT.

Smaller investments and a shorter implementation time thanks to the use of ICTwill help to realize advanced networks of communication that reduce obstacles likedistance and poverty, characteristics of vast rural areas of the country. The applicationof ICT will contribute to the optimization of the administrative processes within theMinistry of Education, thus promoting exchange of information that will foster intelligent

organizational interaction and favour development and integration of knowledge sector.

Specific objectives of the Huascarn Programme are to interconnect stateentities to optimize the educational services that rendered to the community; toimprove the quality of education through ICT use in pedagogical practices; to promotethe training and specialization of teachers through ICT use; to increase and improveaccess to educational services in the poorest and more remote areas of the country;to integrate and to support projects from other sectors and multi-sectoral projectswhich have educational purposes; to promote the integration of public educationcentres into private ones everywhere in the country; to support and to stimulate thedemocratization of internet access; to enhance the efficiency of the process ofadministering education through ICT use (evaluation, monitoring, control, co-ordination, communication) and thereby to improve the results and to reduce the costs;to support and to align ICT use in the communities to make development possible andmaking local markets more dynamic.

In order to obtain higher benefits from ICT at the local level in countries such asPeru, two basic conditions must be met: 1) ample access to these resources by thepopulation guaranteed by increased ICT infrastructure; 2) the development of

adequate applications to various socio-cultural segments. In summary, the HuascarnProgramme tries to reduce inequalities of access and ICT use and also to diminish thescarcity of knowledge on the day-to-day use of ICT as a tool for social and personalprogress.

Those involved in the Huascarn Project expect that within five years a learningenvironment and a sustainable structure should be established through the application

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of ICT. Students, teachers, and the administrative staff of the educational centresshould by then be skilled for ICT use. Information transfer between the headquarters ofthe Ministry of Education and its several sectoral branches could then be rapid andefficient; and the education centres and the intermediary organs could be connected inorder to better achieve their objectives. ICT use should facilitate intelligentorganizational interaction.

The target-public of the Huascarn Project are students, teachers, family,parents, administrative personnel and the community in general. Participants willreceive electronic mail accounts, access to on-line tools, participate in chats andconferences, but, above all, they will have the opportunity to intervene directly in thepreparation of the pedagogical content and educational material.

3.3.5.6 Electronic Cabins in Peru

According to Sandro Venturo, in Cabinas, acesso y redes sociales(www.yachay.com.pe/especiales/cabinas/2b.htm), internet access in public cabins inPeru has become an important example of narrowing the digital gap inunderdeveloped countries. Experts even speak of a Peruvian Model. Public cabinswere developed so as to enable anybody to be connected to the internet, even if theydo not have a computer or access to networks.

In Lima, cabinas are the same concept as telecenters or public cabins toaccess the internet, i.e. an locality equipped with a certain number of computersoffering internet access, including a number of small services rendered, like textprinting, copies, fax, and eventually long-distance phone calls. There are smalldifferences in the modes of services. The so-called cyber cafes are essentiallycommercial enterprises. The public cabins promoted by municipal or by teachinginstitutions have a community character. But the idea is the s

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