Encouragement of Social Participation (BR0062)

to foster social control by means of a broad communication strategy aimed at disseminating knowledge on the topics of social control and prevention and fighting of corruption, with a view to highlight the importance of civil participation as an instrument for enhancing public ethics and integrity.

Commitment 2.5. Encouragement of social participation

Commitment Text: To foster social control by means of a broad communication strategy aimed at disseminating knowledge on the topics of social control and prevention and fighting of corruption, with a view to highlight the importance of civil participation as an instrument for enhancing public ethics and integrity.   

Responsible institution: Office of the Comptroller General (CGU)

Supporting institution: None

Start date: Not specified                          End date: 14 December 2014

Commitment aim

This commitment was part of the CGU’s strategy to encourage social oversight. It planned to do this by improving communications so as to spread knowledge about social oversight, and preventing and fighting corruption.

Status

Midterm: Completed

The commitment accomplished a variety of outcomes. These included distance education courses on social oversight and citizenship, new school materials and children’s games on corruption and ethics (on the “Little Portal of the CGU”), materials for businesses, and media campaigns.

Did it open government?

Civic participation: Marginal

Public accountability: Marginal

The goal of the commitment was to educate citizens about the importance of preventing and fighting corruption, one of the most serious political issues in Brazil.^{[Note 42: Anthony Boadle, “Brazil prosecutors face pushback from lawmakers in graft probe,” Reuters, 11 November 2016, http://reut.rs/2gc4EJ2. ]} The CGU led an online anti-corruption campaign on Facebook that attracted more than 10 million user interactions, and produced and distributed 90 thousand comic books on anti-corruption practices, along with the popular Brazilian comic book company (Turma da Mônica). As these are all long-term activities, it is difficult to determine their direct contribution to open government in the short term.

The most relevant aspect of the commitment for open government was the training of more than 4,000 local council members on social oversight via in-person and online courses in 144 municipalities.^{[Note 43: OGP, Final Assessment Report – Second National Action Plan, October 2016, http://bit.ly/2f1BTQ5. ]} The initiative contributes to the monitoring capacity of the participatory local councils, and was selected by the public as Brazil’s nominee for the OGP award for best innovation in social participation.^{[Note 44: CGU, “Olho Vivo no Dinheiro Público é escolhido para concorrer ao Prêmio OGP Awards,” 3 June 2014, http://bit.ly/2g9pxDh. ]} However, it builds upon an already existing program, and it is difficult to identify changes in behavior as a result of the trainings. As such, the IRM researcher believes the commitment had only a marginal impact on open government, despite its great potential to contribute to OGP values in the future.

Carried forward?

The commitment was not carried forward to Brazil’s third action plan. If the government considers it in the future, the IRM researcher suggests designing and integrating more specific milestones. The Little Portal of the CGU, in particular, shows potential for growth, and could be developed in partnership with civil society, especially with the open software community.