E-governance in Brazil
The Brazilian government can praise itself for the good use of IT technology to improve its administration and enhance interaction with citizens. In this article, you will get more information about the electronic government and its services in the country
The electronic government in Brazil had a shy beginning in 2000, with the launch of official websites of a few governmental agencies and institutions, containing only their basic information, static links and very little interaction with the users.
After more than a decade of existence, the Brazilian electronic government evolved to the point of becoming an example on how the governments can better interact with citizens and [companies](, improve the efficiency of internal management, cut costs and provide information and public services in a much more organized platform.
According to the last research made by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), there are currently 11.856 websites registered under the gov.br domain, what gives the size and scope achieved by the e-gov in Brazil.
If you think of the wide dimensions of the Brazilian territory and its enormous population, it gets easy to know why the electronic government contributed to the management of the public institutions, especially when it comes to the provision of public services and broadcast of information.
Overall the governmental websites obey a simple logic. If the entity belongs to the federal government, its address will end with gov.br. If it is a state institution, its address will be registered with the domain of the state it belongs. For example, the Central Bank of Brazil is a federal institution. Therefore, its address will be bcb.gov.br.
The Board of Trade of São Paulo, which is an entity under the management of that state, will have its electronic address like this: jucesp.fazenda.sp.gov.br.
The Brazilian electronic government is managed by the Administration of Information Technology Resources (SISP), organ attached the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management.
Services provided by the government on internet
Accountability and transparency
Provision of public expenditure data and documents, financial transactions, disclosure of budgets, bids, closures and cancellations and signing of contracts. This allows citizens and businesses to be aware of the government's activities as well as supervising the use of public money.
Requests
Tools that allows the citizens to make requests for public services, complain about poor and incomplete services and check schedules for public works. Because it provides the direct contact between the citizen and the public entities, this tool eliminates the need for an intermediary person, like a politician for example, who can subject the information to his interests, as a representative in the legislature.
Space for discussion
Forums in which citizens can publish their feedback about public services and campaigns, discuss or propose ideas and projects for the executive and legislative, or use of public funds. It is a way to open discussions that were restricted to the public sphere to those most interested, and also permits to achieve democratic and economic farther from public discussions of public affairs and once again, eliminating the need for intermediaries.
Ombudsman
Free spaces in which citizens can complain, request information or express their assessment of public agencies, and government services. These spaces should be free speech and should not be restricted to its users.
Registration and online services
Use of software programs and online registration for data services or perform mandatory or optional. This tool reduces cost for the public shift, manpower and time. At the same time, when only shows the alternative on-line can be exclusive. Examples of services:
- Declaration of income
- Issuance of CPF
- Renovation of voter card
- Issuance of criminal background check
- Police report for burglary or theft
- Police report for loss of documents
- Check of lawsuits
- [Nota Fiscal Paulista/Eletrônica](
- Check of debts related to taxes
- Check of traffic fines
- Inscription for public jobs
- Reading the state and federal official gazettes
- Issuance of passport
- Schedule for issuance of ID
- Check of grades of students from public schools
- Online library
- Public courses
- Job advertisement
- Check PIS and FGTS
A website for each state and municipality
The gov.br domain is extended to each Brazilian state creating a new domain with the acronym that they are designated. That domain will be used by the municipalities in their URL afterwords. For example, the São Paulo state domain is sp.gov.br. Bauru, a city that belongs to the São Paulo state will have its website address like this: bauru.sp.gov.br.
It is the same for the state institutions. Normally, the website of the state already has the links for the entities registered with its domain.
List of the Brazilian states' websites: