La comunicación y difusión de las políticas públicas de gobierno. Aspectos constitucionales, legales y presupuestarios

The paper analyzes the regulatory framework of the governmental official communications from the legal aspects of expenditure, content and channels, and its relation to freedom of speech and the right to receive informationEl trabajo analiza el marco regulatorio de las comunicaciones oficiales de Gobierno, desde sus aspectos de legalidad del gasto, contenido y vías de difusión, y su relación con la libertad de expresión y el derecho a recibir información

Conflictos de intereses: normas y conceptos

En vista de los debates públicos que tuvieron lugar en Chile durante 2010 sobre conflictos de intereses que se decía afectaban a altas autoridades del Estado, este comentario intenta aclarar las normas y conceptos relativos al tema. Con ese fin, reseña el campo de probidad pública, transparencia y anticorrupción dentro del cual se sitúa el tema de los conflictos de intereses, así como las normas internacionales aplicables; sostiene que los conflictos de intereses no son hechos sino situaciones de riesgo para determinados valores públicos o colectivos que se hallan entregados a un resguardo fiduciario, público o privado; analiza distintas formas de vulneración de los valores respectivos a que tales situaciones de riesgo pueden conducir y termina revisando las principales iniciativas y leyes adoptadas en Chile sobre esta materia en las últimas dos décadas

The modernisation of the house of representatives, a frustrated task?

Durante los últimos veinte años ha habido numerosos proyectos para modernizar la Cámara de Diputados de Chile. Este artículo examina los intentos que han tratado de resolver aisladamente problemas de organización y administración, en vez de enfrentarlos como un proceso general de cambios implícitos en un proceso de modernización. El último intento en curso constituye un desafío político para implementar los cambios necesarios en la organización y administración de la Cámara con el fin de fortalecer sus funciones en un régimen presidencial y su presencia en la ciudadanía.During the last twenty years there have been a number of projects to modernize the Chilean Chamber of Deputies. This article examines the different initiatives which have attempted to solve organizational and management problems in isolation rather than as a general process of modernization. The latest attempts now in progress challenge the political will to implement long awaited changes in the organization and administration of the Chamber so as to strengthen its role in a presidential system and its influence in the population

E-procurement in public sector: a global overview

This paper provides a global overview of both recent developments and current initiatives in public e-procurement. The Hong Kong Government’s E-Procurement Pilot Programme will serve as a case study that will be discussed using a descriptive case study approach. A qualitative methodology is employed with findings that indicate that the development of public e-procurement is a matter of perception rather than other factors such as ITC infrastructure availability. E-procurement is underutilised in the public sector, where the majority of implemented systems are in the form of e-journal and e-tendering solutions. Concurrently, the findings also point to a growing trend in cross-border initiatives within public sectors where e-procurement is the driving force. The case study results suggest that the Hong Kong Government’s initiative is successful especially in terms of political support, adaptation of suppliers and system design. This paper provides valuable insight into the potential role of public e-procurement initiatives.postprin

Electronic Procurement of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices in Chile: An Initial Empirical Investigation

The return on investments in electronic procurement platforms has been elusive. We show that the use of an electronic platform for the procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical devices has saved the Government of Chile money. Using a unique data set that covers purchases of the same items before and after the new Chilecompra platform was introduced in 2004 and includes controls for other variables that may have affected prices, we find that Chilecompra saved the government over 8% and that greater aggregation of purchases saved a further 3%. Consistent results are found when government prices are compared with those of Chile’s three drugstore chains. Chilecompra has resulted in quantifiable economic benefits which are related to volume and platfom effects rather than a greater number of competitors. These results help fill a gap in the literature on the returns to Information Technology investment, and are consistent with work in Health Economics

Las tecnologías de información y comunicación (TIC) y su impacto en el sistema de compras y contrataciones públicas: el caso de la región de los lagos en Chile

This article underscores the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on organizations in the new information or knowledge society. In this effort, it addresses the main theoretical foundations of ICTs and highlights the leading role placed by the Chilean government in e-trade by creating an on-line government procurement system (ChileCompra). Additionally, it presents the results of a survey to suppliers in the Los Lagos region on their perception of this new system, in operation since 2003. Specifi cally, it aims at fi nding out what is the present status and impact of ICTs in the Los Lagos region, what are the main inconveniences suppliers fi nd in this region to operate the new system and how satisfi ed they are with these services

Confianza a la Chilena: a comparative study of how e-services influence public sector institutional trustworthiness and trust

New information and communication technologies bring the enticing potential to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of government administration and services. One theorised outcome of egovernment that has received little empirical attention is its ability to build citizens’ trust in government. This thesis contributes to this knowledge through a comparative study of the impacts of two Chilean e-services on citizens’ trust in the institutions of democratic government. This research traces the causal processes from the influence of the e-services on the trustworthiness of public sector institutions to how, for whom, and in what circumstances the e-services directly affect citizens’ trust in those institutions. The research approach draws from social realist assumptions and, in particular, the ontology offered by critical realism. This approach allows for the development of a novel e-government and institutional trust framework that integrates a wide range of trust theories from political science, sociology, psychology, and information systems. Extending the framework, the thesis proposes fifteen middle-range causal hypotheses that link e-services to institutional trustworthiness and citizens’ trust in those institutions. These hypotheses are then empirically grounded in casespecific hypotheses which are subsequently tested and refined through both a within-case analysis and cross-case comparison. Within limits, this study provides insight into the potentials and limits of e-government to improve the trustworthiness of the public sector. Furthermore, by adopting a street-level epistemological perspective of citizens’ interpretations and explanations of e-service interactions, the thesis contributes to the micro-level understanding of the interactions of eservices and citizens’ trust in public sector institutions. A central finding is the importance of self-interested concerns and direct user benefits in shaping perceptions and interpretations of the citizen-e-service interaction. The findings also provide empirical insight into the theoretical and practical importance of discerning between theories of how to build trustworthy institutions and trust in those institutions

The importance of innovation in e-commerce

Este trabajo realiza una aproximación económica del comercio electrónico a nivel mundial, europeo, nacional y regional -Extremadura-. En él destaca el alto potencial de crecimiento en e-commerce de España y Extremadura, siendo un aspecto a potenciar en las empresas. Hemos planteado un modelo que relaciona edad, tamaño e innovación de la empresa con el e-commerce. Obteniendo un modelo, en que indica la relación positiva existente de la innovación hacia el e-commerce, desde el tamaño de la empresa hacia el e-commerce; y donde además la edad de la empresa influye positivamente en la innovación y en el tamaño de la empresa, siendo la innovación la pieza fundamental para la explotación del e-commerce.This work takes an economic approach of electronic commerce at global, European, national and regional level -Extremadura-. In the highlights the high potential for growth in e-commerce of Spain and Extremadura, is an aspect to be promoted within companies. We have proposed a model that relates age, size and innovation in the enterprise e-commerce. Getting a model, indicating the positive relationship of innovation towards e-commerce, from the size of the company to e-commerce; and where also the age of the company positively influences innovation and the size of the company, innovation being the cornerstone for the operation of e-commerce.peerReviewe