Dissertação
A inclusão digital como política pública regional - sondagens sobre a reunificação do espaço e do tempo da participação social
Fecha
2008-10-08Registro en:
MACIEL, Marília Ferreira. DIGITAL INCLUSION AS A REGIONAL PUBLIC POLICY A SURVEY ON THE REUNIFICATION OF THE SPACE AND THE TIME
OF SOCIAL PARTICIPATION. 2008. 143 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Direito) - Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, 2008.
Autor
Maciel, Marília Ferreira
Institución
Resumen
The regional integration processes occupy the middle ground between the local and the global spheres. In the European Union, the regional institutions formulate norms and policies, which are very important for the coherence among the superposed spheres of governance. The social
participation on their elaboration is a crucial factor for the legitimacy of this political endeavor. We investigate if it s possible for the citizens to be directly and continuously engaged throughout the regulatory and policy-making processes in regional integration experiences. What underpin this question are the changes that took place at the end of the XXth Century, with the rise and convergence of the information and communication technologies. The hypothesis of the research is that citizen communities in cyberspace have the potential to fill the virtual public space of integration processes with a dynamics of
discussion, providing continuous interaction among citizens, as well as with institutional representatives. This would be a way to enhance social participation and diminish the levels of democratic deficit. The Internet reinforces two elements, which are essential for social
participation: the availability of information and the channels of interactivity. The information on official sites contributes to raise awareness about regional integration, while the active engagement can be supported by the tools of digital communication. We conclude that, with the aid of technology, it s possible to develop a continuous participation on regulation and policy making in integration processes. However, this is not yet a reality in Mercosur for two main reasons. Firstly, there s a lack of information and scarcity of channels for social
interaction, which should be provided by the regional institutions. Secondly, there s not enough access to infrastructure and skills, necessary for the digital inclusion. The convergence of the political agendas regarding information society can be a powerful
instrument to provide growth and equity. The elaboration of a common policy of digital inclusion in Mercosur could foster a culture of taking public actions together, as well as succeed to strengthen the integration process itself.