Information policy in times of electronic government: a preliminary study on Informational Governance in the State of Minas Gerais

Abstract

This paper is a preliminary study focusing on specific policies, which investigates the electronic information available to citizens through government information policies in the State of Minas Gerais. According to Ferguson (2002, p.129), there is a strategy used by the British government which is guided by four principles: create services based on the choices of citizens, make government services more accessible, facilitate social inclusion and improve the use of information." These principles are used to guide this study, which aims to list the most accessed electronic services offered by the government of Minas Gerais, in response to the first principle.

The study uses data submitted by the Central Superintendence of Electronic Governance. The MG Portal provides various services of interest to the society but which are unknown to the public. These services require an outreach work among citizens so they can use the e-gov sites made available by the government to minimize or solve the demand of society and try to reverse reputation for inefficiency of the public organization. In his study and work presented at the XI Enancib, Massensini (2010) points out the necessity to invest in telecentres as public access points; promote information literacy to educate the citizen to use digital and ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) and participate of e-government; and provide social opportunities to collaborate for the construction of citizenship.