Public information and communication for public participation in Spain

Citizens have the right to inform and to be informed; it contributes to social cohesion and construction of citizenship (Castells, 2010). That is why access to quality information and to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for citizens’ participation, have a priority importance if it is intended that citizens are to take an active role in day-to-day responsibility to help social, economic, political and cultural development processes (Cáceres, 2014). However, the development of technologies to improve relations between governments and citizens does not automatically increase democratic practices and citizens’ participation (Moreno-Sardà, 2012). This research aims to contribute to knowledge about the role of public information and communication in a social accountability process, in promoting sustainability and democratization. Considering public communication as the ways politics is communicate to the public (Blumer and Gurevitch, 1995, p. 1) but also, how politicians and the public participate in the communication processes that take part in public institutions and politics. To do that we analyze local governments of Spain and their official web sites, focusing on the resources and the communication practices that aim to help boost citizens' participation. We use the geographical e-tool “The Infoparticip@ Map” an innovative tool whose purpose is to motivate governments to make improvements in transparency and citizens' engagement. The results show a significant development of public information in 230 city councils including the Autonomous Communities of Andalucía, Aragon, Canarias, Galicia y Madrid. Keywords: Infoparticip@ Map; Public Communication; Social Accountability; Transparency; Spain