Comunicação, cidadania e administração pública municipal : um estudo a partir da política de acesso à informação em municípios da região do Vale do Rio Pardo (RS).

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the communication process of public administration in selected municipalities of the Vale do Rio Pardo (RS), based on the Law of Access to Information (LAI) and the precepts of public communication. Specifically, it seeks to verify the use given to public information by the professionals responsible for the communicational process of the municipal public administrations; to evidence the quality of public information available in institutional portals of municipal public administrations; elucidate the relation of this public information - and of the communicational process in which they are inserted - with the territory; and to identify if the communicational process of the municipal public administrations has the potential for the establishment of a public communication. For that, theoretical studies were carried out on communication, citizenship and democracy - contributions to regional development; and on the public policy of access to information. Also, a case study was carried out with three municipalities belonging to the Regional Development Council (COREDE), region of the Vale do Rio Pardo (RS), identified by Encruzilhada do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul and Vera Cruz. The study, which possessed as a theoretical-methodological framework dialectical materialism, was based on a qualitative research, involving interviews with those responsible for the communication process of the public administrations of the selected municipalities. As well as the analysis of the content made available in the institutional portals of the municipal public administrations in compliance with the minimum requirements established in the LAI. It was noticed that the communicational process of the public administrations of the selected municipalities is based on both, informational and communicational practices, establishing a relationship with LAI, in greater or lesser degree. Although no public communication precepts have been identified in all processes. The communication process of the municipality of Encruzilhada do Sul has as general purpose the dissemination of information to the citizens, but does not present excellence in relation to the requirements of LAI. In a process aimed at basically informative practices, a primary level of participation, precepts of public communication such as dialogue and public debate were not visualized. The communication process of the municipality of Santa Cruz do Sul, in turn, also has the purpose of disseminating information to citizens, presenting in its institutional portal all information, though only partially, related to the LAI issues analyzed. In their communication process, public communication precepts were not visualized, and their practices focused on consultation, as a secondary level of participation. Already in the communicational process of the municipality of Vera Cruz, it can be identified based on public communications, since it is expected to stimulate practices of responsibility, maximum volume of participation. Also with a communication process aimed at the dissemination of information to citizens, the municipality of Vera Cruz complies with the provisions of LAI, although during the analysis it was noticed absences of information related to the queries surveyed.