The ghost in the machine: System-level bureaucracy and interorganizational coordination in public policy

Abstract

The objective is to understand how interorganizational coordination occurs in the development of information systems in tax collection and basic education policies in the state of Paraná, Brazil. This implies the analysis of the relationships established between system-level bureaucrats (SYBs) – specialists who work in the development of information systems – and other bureaucracies in the implementation of public policies. Theoretical references on bureaucracy, information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the public sector and coordination of public policies were mobilized. From a methodological point of view, it is a comparative study, analyzing two public policies: tax collection and basic education in the state of Paraná, and the mixed-capital company that develops the systems, Companhia de Tecnologia da Informação e Comunicação do Paraná (CELEPAR). Such policies are distinguished by the way in which the relationships between bureaucracies occur. In both, informal learning networks, mutually dependent, allow actors to create and use coping strategies that contribute to the coordination of public policy. These strategies are related to the writing of laws and public notices, the creation of unofficial information systems and resistance to change. They generally reflect beneficial contributions to public policy. The results imply demonstrating that the decision-making processes of policies are changed according to the use of ICTs, and disputes are transferred to other locus, which information systems sometimes hide, sometimes reveal.