Combating corruption through transparency: how have e-government investments affected levels of accountability in Brazil?

Transparency has often been hailed as one of the main mechanisms through which corruption can be combated due to the fact that it supposedly increases levels of accountability. In this sense, e-government would be the platform through which this can be achieved. However, as the author demonstrates, this is a failed assumption since it is not applicable to several national contexts, such as is the case of Brazil. In addition, most studies in this field have so far relied on rational-choice models and have thus failed to demonstrate causation, often undertaking instead a strong normative undertone. This study therefore aims to reach beyond what has already been done, and demonstrate why investments in transparency have not achieved the desired results by conducting an interpretive piece of research and adopting a multi-case study approach, whereby incidences of corruption in Brazil will serve as the cases. It aims to go against the stream of normative work and produce an actual theoretical framework to explain this phenomenon, thereby contributing to the advancement of the IS field, more specifically, the area of e-government, and providing a guide for policy-makers' investments.