Rafael Cardoso Sampaio

Sustaining a democratic innovation: a study of three e-participatory budgets in Belo Horizonte

ABSTRACT This article explores the transition from democratic innovation to institutionalised political process of e-participatory budgeting in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Applying a multimethod approach (content analysis, interviews and social media monitoring) regarding the last three editions (2008, 2011 and 2013), it considers how the proponents and organisers of ePB conceive its function in relation to the representative mechanisms that surround it; how the citizens of Belo Horizonte have responded to it in relation to their experience of being represented; and how governments seeking to institutionalise democratic innovations with a view to establishing more direct forms of representation might learn from this exercise.

e-Participatory Budgeting as an initiative of e-requests: prospecting for leading cases and reflections on e-Participation

This article goes prospecting for some of the main experiences of using e-participatory budgeting (e-PB) that occurred between 2001 and 2013. We used the snowball technique to map out these occurrences. The aim of the study was to contribute to a better understanding of how such e-PB relates to other e-participation projects, in terms of participants, activities and the possibility of using mixed methods (online/on location) to mitigate any digital exclusion. The results indicated that there were 170 e-PB initiatives operating in 101 locations, of which 139 were mixed initiatives. Contrary to what is suggested in literature on the subject, most of these e-PBs do not address decision-making processes directly, but instead deal with the suggestions and requests of citizens (e-requests). The conclusion was then that the addition of ICTs to the e-PBs did not necessarily lead to an improvement in such processes. Nevertheless, one can argue that e-PBs can indeed offer new avenues and questions of relevance to the study of e-participation.

e-Orçamentos Participativos como iniciativas de e-solicitação: uma prospecção dos principais casos e reflexões sobre a e-Participação

This article goes prospecting for some of the main experiences of using e-participatory budgeting (e-PB) that occurred between 2001 and 2013. We used the snowball technique to map out these occurrences. The aim of the study was to contribute to a better understanding of how such e-PB relates to other e-participation projects, in terms of participants, activities and the possibility of using mixed methods (online/on location) to mitigate any digital exclusion. The results indicated that there were 170 e-PB initiatives operating in 101 locations, of which 139 were mixed initiatives. Contrary to what is suggested in literature on the subject, most of these e-PBs do not address decision-making processes directly, but instead deal with the suggestions and requests of citizens (e-requests). The conclusion was then that the addition of ICTs to the e-PBs did not necessarily lead to an improvement in such processes. Nevertheless, one can argue that e-PBs can indeed offer new avenues and questions of relevance to the study of e-participation.

A construção do campo de internet e política: análise dos artigos brasileiros apresentados entre 2000 e 2014

O objetivo deste artigo e analisar a area de IP comunicacao e politica; ciencia politica; comunicacao social; sociologia; democracia digital Abstract The purpose of this article is to analyze the field of IP political communication; political science; social communication; sociology; e-democracy.

Eu quero acreditar! Da importância, formas de uso e limites dos testes de confiabilidade na Análise de Conteúdo

RESUMO Introducao : A analise de conteudo (AC) tem sido normativamente definida a partir de tres principios fundamentais: validade, replicabilidade e confiabilidade. Neste trabalho, identificamos que os estudos empiricos, no Brasil e no exterior, tem negligenciado esses principios, em especial o ultimo (confiabilidade). Metodos : Diante disso, oferecemos uma contribuicao tanto operacional quanto critica a AC. Em relacao a contribuicao operacional, o trabalho apresenta uma listagem detalhada de procedimentos sobre como se realizar um teste de confiabilidade em diferentes circunstâncias de pesquisa (com um ou mais pesquisadores). Resultados : Ja a contribuicao critica e uma reflexao epistemologica acerca das vantagens e limites dos usos mais comuns desse tipo de teste, usos esses que, no limite, podem comprometer a propria confiabilidade cientifica dos resultados publicados. Discussao : De modo a evitar esse risco, propomos que pesquisas com AC podem reivindicar a presuncao de confiabilidade quando (a) oferecem plenas condicoes de replicabilidade e (b) quando oferecem um teste de confiabilidade realizado por um ou mais codificadores, teste esse que seja aceitavel como significativamente nao-aleatorio. Por fim, concluimos que, nos periodicos de alto impacto, predomina a importância de (b) em detrimento de (a), o que demonstra que, mesmo na elite da producao cientifica, ainda prevalece uma compreensao pouco exigente sobre a confiabilidade na AC. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: analise de conteudo; teste de confiabilidade; replicabilidade; validade; metodos quantitativos. ABSTRACT Introduction : Content analysis has been normatively organized by the following principles: validity, replicability, and reliability. This paper points out that empirical studies in Brazil and abroad have been ignoring such principles, especially the latter (reliability). From this vantage point, we offer a theoretical and practical contribution to content analysis. Methods : Regarding the practical contribution, this papers details check-lists of procedures for conducting intercoder reliability tests for different research conditions ( i.e. for one or more coders). Results : Concerning the theoretical contribution, it departs from an epistemological critical assessment of the advantages and limitations embedded in the most common uses of this kind of test. On the limit, such uses might put the scientific reliability of the published results at risk. Discussion : In order to avoid such risk, we argue that empirical studies might claim the presumption of reliability when (a) they offer plain conditions for their replicability; and (b) when they offer a reliability test that might be regarded as significantly non-random. We conclude our paper by pointing out that, in the high ranked journals, prevails the importance of (b) under (a), which implies that even in the elite of scientific production prevails a low demanding comprehension of reliability. KEYWORDS: content analysis; inter-coder reliability test; replicability; validation; quantitative research.

Respondem os políticos a questionamentos dos eleitores? Um experimento controlando os incentivos de mensagem, período e meio

Este artigo apresenta os resultados de um experimento conduzido entre setembro de 2014 e julho de 2015 para verificar a responsividade dos parlamentares brasileiros a questoes enviadas por cidadaos, sob distintas condicoes. Para isso, foram enviadas quatro rodadas de mensagens, ao longo do periodo, aos 513 deputados federais, controlando os incentivos. Testamos tres fatores: a) o conteudo da mensagem (potencial eleitor versus uma questao sobre votacao de projeto de lei em plenario); b) o periodo em que a mensagem foi enviada (eleitoral e nao eleitoral); c) a plataforma por meio da qual a mensagem foi enviada (e-mail e midias sociais). Em geral, a taxa de respostas e muito pequena, indicando a baixa responsividade digital dos parlamentares brasileiros. O modelo de regressao logistica demonstra que “periodo eleitoral” nao exerce grande influencia, que “incentivos do conteudo da mensagem” aumentam em dez vezes a probabilidade de resposta e que “mensagens enviadas via midias sociais” aumentam em nove vezes a probabilidade de resposta. Discutimos os resultados sob a luz da teoria dos incentivos politicos e da ampliacao das possibilidades de accountability trazidas pelas ferramentas de comunicacao politica online. Acreditamos que a pesquisa abre caminho para futuras abordagens experimentais nessa seara.

Molduras de uma tragédia anunciada: enquadramentos do desastre de Mariana

Este artigo busca analisar a diversidade de enquadramentos disponiveis nos media sobre a tragedia de Mariana. Baseados na nocao de enquadramento de Entman (1993) e de diversidade de enquadramentos de Porto (2007), propomos uma analise de conteudo das materias apresentadas em uma mescla de veiculos, de forma a englobar um meio local (Estado de Minas), tres portais dedicados exclusivamente ao jornalismo online (G1, R7, Uol) e tres outros veiculos de abrangencia nacional (Folha de S. Paulo, O Estado de S. Paulo, O Globo) em uma amostra de conveniencia que busca avaliar a repercussao imediata e, tambem, subsequente. Nossa analise revela uma cobertura que privilegiou as fontes oficiais, dando pouco espaco a perspectiva das pessoas afetadas pelo desastre ou ainda de “interesse publico”.

e-Presupuestos Participativos como iniciativas de e-solicitud: una prospección de los principales casos y reflexiones sobre la e-Participación

This article goes prospecting for some of the main experiences of using e-participatory budgeting (e-PB) that occurred between 2001 and 2013. We used the snowball technique to map out these occurrences. The aim of the study was to contribute to a better understanding of how such e-PB relates to other e-participation projects, in terms of participants, activities and the possibility of using mixed methods (online/on location) to mitigate any digital exclusion. The results indicated that there were 170 e-PB initiatives operating in 101 locations, of which 139 were mixed initiatives. Contrary to what is suggested in literature on the subject, most of these e-PBs do not address decision-making processes directly, but instead deal with the suggestions and requests of citizens (e-requests). The conclusion was then that the addition of ICTs to the e-PBs did not necessarily lead to an improvement in such processes. Nevertheless, one can argue that e-PBs can indeed offer new avenues and questions of relevance to the study of e-participation.