A web platform, easy to use from a smartphone, and an accompanying appropriation strategy will improve the exercise of social control of local public management, strengthening accountability and public transparency practices in Buenaventura, Colombia, thanks to researchers from the Universidad del Valle (Univalle) of the Pacific campus.
Univalle researchers say that a contribution to contribute with actions to build a strategy to intervene in this problem, particularly in intermediate cities such as Buenaventura, is to promote the use and appropriation of technology to access public data.
Mauricio Payán Meneses, researcher and coordinator of the Area of Extension and Social Projection of the Pacific campus and research group GODEPAZCIFICO said that if the citizens of Buenaventura have a visual and easy way to see which projects (particularly infrastructure) are receiving public funds, they can, for example, denounce if the works do not appear.
"From the experience of the university, we can see an opportunity, not only to make visible the problems, but to give visibility in the use of public resources, that anyone with access to a smartphone can see in real time the commune level public infrastructure projects, among others," explained Professor Payán.
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| Image: Public Investment Viewer Platform. Credit: Mauricio Payán Meneses. |
The Research
Payán explained that although in the last 3-4 years there has been a platform called Marea Digital, which allows inhabitants of the port city to identify and report local issues that affect the quality of life in their communities, the researchers saw a broader opportunity."Smartphones have become an essential tool for anyone and since the vast majority of people have access to this medium, they can have access to better public information," said Professor Payán, adding that the team is doing its best to develop a map-based platform that shows projects and their budgets.
"For example, we want to show what they are funding and in this way, give transparency and more power to non-experts, to address corruption in public sector that exist in many of our country and the world'', Professor Payán said, adding that through the design and implementation of a web platform that allows citizens to visualize the social investment actions that the local government performs in the jurisdiction of the territory through a georeferencing viewer and categorization by sector (education, health, culture, sports, environment, housing, security, etc).
"It is to facilitate the construction of new civic, digital and informed citizens, with elements for the social control of public management," Professor Payán said.
Students of Information Systems technology are helping the researchers to create a user-friendly platform.
"The social appropriation of technology is the challenge... We don't want to create a platform that nobody uses!" explained Payán, adding that strengthening the capacities of the communities is one of the project's biggest goals,
Professor Payán said his group also has international activities.
Since 2017, the Pacific Campus belongs to the Interinstitutional Program for the Strengthening of Pacific Research and Graduate Studies. (DELFIN) and had students from several Mexican universities doing internships.
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Profesor Luis Augusto Quiñones Rodríguez, the director of the Pacific Campus in Buenaventura said that the development of the mission axis of Extension and social projection that they do from the Pacific Campus.
Read more about the regional campuses of Univalle: Small businesses and researchers in Colombia reduce environmental impact and protect occupational health(Buga Campus)
Foto: La Sede Pacifico de la Universidad del Valle (Univalle) en Buenaventura, Colombia. Crédito: Univalle
Univalle's Pacific Campus
Through the Regionalization System, Universidad del Valle began a new stage on October 20, 1986, with a branch in the Colombian Pacific, in the city of Buenaventura.
Today, it offers careers in Food Technology, Software Development, Electronics, Port Management, Port Logistics, Port Maintenance, Information Systems, among others. Also soon, a Professional Program in Naval Engineering will be offered at the campus.
Read More: Agreement: Professional Program in Naval Engineering (SENA - Faculty of Engineering of Univalle)
Profesor Luis Augusto Quiñones Rodríguez, the director of the Pacific Campus in Buenaventura said that the development of the mission axis of Extension and social projection that they do from the Pacific Campus.
"Professor Payán's project allows people to know more about where public funds go, leadership, good governance, citizen oversight, public management, project formulation, renewable energy, humanization of patient care, among others is a sample of the many topics with which we impact this beautiful territory," said Professor Quiñones.
Read more about the regional campuses of Univalle: Small businesses and researchers in Colombia reduce environmental impact and protect occupational health(Buga Campus)
"Scientific research definitely allows us to address the solution of the multiple problems that the region has in an objective, prioritized, directed and above all neutral and ethical manner," explained Professor Quiñones, adding that in addition to being an institutional responsibility for being part of the mission axes, in that sense it is absolutely necessary to have research groups at the campus.
"In fact, we are making progress in this purpose by consolidating our GODEPAZCIFICO group, and additionally from the area of extension and social projection we are hired by public and private, national and international entities to carry out consulting work with a high research component that we address with professors linked to the campus," said Professor Quiñones.
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