Accountability in local councils: an investigation on websites

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to investigate the capability of the websites Santa Catarina's local councils for building accountability. The research is descriptive, was carried out through a survey, having qualitative and quantitative approach. The object of analysis is the local councils of Santa Catarina state which have websites. In this sense, 93 websites were researched, representing 31.74% of the 293 municipalities in the state. For the data collection, an observation protocol was used. The visits to the websites were made according to the items of the observation protocol. It is concluded, based on the empirical evidence collected, that the set of websites of Santa Catarina's municipalities shows lack of capability to enable the construction of the accountability dimensions. The websites analyzed represent much more the existence of electronic murals than of spaces to build accountability. The websites are the response to a request, an impulse of modernity expressed by a dominant technological imperative; however, they do not contribute to democratic development. The survey results indicate these requirements are still far from being met.