Eletronic participationin Uruguay, Chile and Colombia from the communicative action theory

This study aims to study and compare electronic participation in Uruguay, Colombia and Chile through the testimonies of the members of non-governmental organizations, interpreted by the theory of communicative action. The evidence showed that Chile and Colombia have a specific law that regulates the subject and that Colombia is the only one of the three nations with an institutional e-participation program. According to the interviews, e-participation is weak in all the countries and, despite the perception of a favorable governmental discourse and political will, the available resources are below what is required. Finally, the contributions gave rise to a discussion about the appropriateness of the model advocated by the Open Government Partnership, OGP.