Performance of the social observatory in the municipality of Santa Maria/RS

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the contributions of the 'Social Observatory' of the Municipality of Santa Maria (RS) with a bias in the social control of public administration, as well as the perception of the importance of the observatory as a protagonist in monitoring public spending and participation in actions and decisions of the public entity. The study observed the manner and form of action of the 'Social Observatory' with the municipality, and also related and demonstrated how society's participation in social control can contribute to the application and transparency of the allocation of public resources. Therefore, it adopted as methodological procedures using the explanatory, descriptive document analysis and qualitative approach. The research found that the contributions of the social observatory in the municipality's public management are focused on the transparency of processes, cost reduction, prevention of irregularities in bidding, lectures on tax education and promotion of citizenship. The results show that the work carried out from January to August 2019 by the observatory, in partnership with the City Hall, generated an approximate saving of R$ 323,300.00 in the period, and this finding serves as a warning to public managers and to the society and demonstrates the need for the existence of the observatory in the various spheres of government.