Mobile Technology in Citizen Participation
m-democracy: next step on
promoting participation and local
democratic governance?
José Carlos Vaz
University of Sao Paulo (EACH-USP), Brazil
LogoLink Network
Presented in MobileActive08,
Johannesburg, South Africa
October 13th 2008

Questions
How mobile technology can be used as a tool for
Southern countries' local governance
processes?
! Participatory budgeting and public consultations
! Democratic accountability
What are the major opportunities, challenges, and
barriers to using mobile technologies to improve
participation in communities and
municipalities?

e-democracy in developing
countries
! What did we actually reach in developing
countries?
! Latin America - some lessons and trends
(LogoLink current research):
! Flourishing local governance processes aren't ICT
hard users.
! Just a few experiences on ICT use for deliberation (e.g.
Participatory Budget).
! Transparency applications using Internet.
! ICT doesn't drive governance.
! Cultural and/or economic barriers?

Mobile technologies for e-
democracy: m-democracy
! Can m-democracy make e-democracy more
effective?
! Mobile versus computer-based internet
! Easy-to-use applications
! Mobile phones are more available than regular
phones and computers.
! People are used to use them.

!Mobile technologies enable people
to access ICTs like no other current
technologies but...
despite its enormous potential, we have scarce
initiatives focused on governance.

Some tools that are needed:
! Deliberative tools on local government and
community issues
! Budgeting, priorities selection, public
consultations,
! Democratic accountability tools:
! Planning, information sharing, resource
allocation, transparency.

What are main challenges and
barriers for ICT use for democratic
governance?
! Putting local governance on the top of the
agenda:
! Local governance enables a democratic
environment to face poverty and inequalities.
! Governance aspects of social applications: making
our actions more effective.

! Cultural barriers: how to make people be more
open to use ICTs – can mobile help doing this
change?
! How to make politicians, appointed officials,
bureaucreats and community leaders to adopt m-
democracy?
! Economic barriers:
! The need of affordable applications.
! Who is going to pay for m-democracy?

What should we do?
! Joint effort of global networks promoting mobile
applications to participation and local
governance:
! Broader audiences: talk not just for
technology people.
! Sharing information and actions:
! Research on how to use mobile tools for mobile
participation and governance.
! Register and make available innovations.
! Developing innovative tools for test and spread.
! Donor education (both governance and technology).