Digital communities in a networked society : e-commerce, e-business, and e-government : the Third IFIP Conference on E-Commerce, E-Business, and E-Government (I3E 2003), September 21-24, 2003, Sa?o Paulo, Brazil

Information is one of the basic resources of the society of the new millennium and therefore, a common asset in the realm of the government, the private initiatives, or the individual. Its generation, distribution and use should take place in a two-direction channel of easy access in order to be used productively by all. Thus, the government should not only inform the population about the services it offers but also supply guidance about the use of the services offered. The information transfer by electronic means has made the government to adopt a new style of administration, in other words, the e-government. Egovernment means a commitment with the use of information technology for the society. It will make possible the continuous improvement of the actions of the State focusing on the efficiency of the internal administration and establishing a system of information management to arrange internal processes and to speed up decision-making at all levels of the government. It also allows the establishment of an information network integrating the State Public Administration and the municipal and federal areas, and the Executive area to the Legislative and Judiciary areas, and facilitating democratic access to information by the citizens through its suitability to the socio-cultural reality of the majority of the population.