PANDEMIC AND E-GOVERNMENT: IMPACT OF SOCIAL ISOLATION ON THE DIGITALIZATION OF LOCAL PUBLIC MANAGEMENT
The Covid-19 pandemic was a world historical event that affected several spheres of society such as health, politics, economy, among others. In view of these effects, governments around the world were forced to adopt new strategies, especially the flexibilization of the process of implementing e-government, in order to provide a closer relationship between government and population during social isolation. In this perspective, the use of Information and Communication Technologies was important to give greater practicality and efficiency in carrying out administrative processes, also in meeting, remotely, the needs of citizens and, consequently, avoiding the agglomeration of people in the pandemic period. According to some studies, during the Coronavirus health crisis, the use of technologies and internet consumption grew considerably within the public administration (mainly at the local level) and in society in general. In view of the above, considering the interest in understanding the impact that the pandemic had on the process of digitization of local public management, the main objective of this research is to evaluate the responsiveness and resilience of the São Paulo municipalities of Santo André and São Bernardo do Campo, in terms of e-government, in the face of the pandemic crisis. For this purpose, this study will use the exploratory qualitative approach, through the case study, with the purpose of deepening and refining the facts, through the application of bibliographic research and interview techniques.