Governo Electrónico Local: Acção Colectiva e Políticas Públicas dos Municípios do Distrito de Évora (Portugal)

Abstract

This communication focuses on explaining the logic of collective action developed by municipalities in the district of Évora in the field of Local e-Government. Taking the backdrop of the axes of the sociology of action, we questioned the dynamic processes of public policies in the area of e-government site in the District of Évora. Through a prospective methodology (La Prospective) complemented with the use of techniques of social network analysis, we made explicit the system of e-government site (e-Local Government) in the District of Évora, we analysed the strategy of actors, and we anticipated possible futures for the Local e-Government. The main findings suggest that: a) the structures of collective action identified are producing order, in a way incompatible with the game of mere structural configuration pre-existing digital development of the region, b) the dependency relationships and influence and trend scenario results of a commitment to change on the part of key actors anchored in a bifurcation of its rationality that opposes the utilitarian logic of Local e-Government and subjective rationality of the actors c) citizen participation through new technologies (e-Participation) is a challenge discursively assumed by the actors, but they have no match for concrete and effective strategic actions in terms of public policy.