The importance of transparency of information on municipal councils for popular participation

Case study of Americana and Limeira/SP

Abstract

Municipal councils are instances for discussing public policies that gather government and civil society in a democratic perspective of public management decentralization, and the publicity and transparency of their information are relevant factors for the realization of popular participation in a non-marginal way. This research sought to analyze what sort of and how information about the municipal public policy councils of the municipalities of Limeira and Americana/SP is available on the official websites of their city halls, and it is possible to note that although the first has a section for information about the councils, it is not intuitively accessible and does not present standardization or up-to-date information available, while regarding the latter the access is simplified, the interface is friendly and the information is presented in a general standardized and updated way, suggesting greater approximation to the principle of public transparency, despite presenting gaps that can limit and impair the citizen's understanding.