Current
Perfil de saúde e bem-estar das crianças em cinco municípios portugueses (Health & well-being of children in five Portuguese municipalities)
This project is coordinated by Professor Fausto Amaro (ISCSP-UTL). Funded by the Portuguese Ministry of Health (2011-2012). More info soon.
Connected Lives
Professor Barry Wellman & NetLab team are preparing the new phase of the famous “Connected lives” project. New info soon.
Social networking sites in PT
This study examines how social networking sites are affecting the lives of Portuguese users. Are social networking sites enhancing social capital and well-being? Or are they causing social isolation, addiction, and risks? To answer these questions, I’m conducting an exploratory study in Portugal. I had a survey online in 2010, which was answered by 210 users of hi5 and facebook – the most used social networking sites in Portugal. This was a side project that was done in my free time, hence the delay. I’m also still planning to conduct 30 semi-structured interviews.
Eurolifenet
I’m also involved with the Eurolifenet project. This project is coordinated by Professor Pedro Ferraz de Abreu, MIT – LabTec/UTL.
Past
Internet and Social Capital
My doctoral research analyzed if Internet usage is associated with social capital in Lisbon, Portugal. Social capital is still a fuzzy and ambiguous concept. But it can be defined as the resources (hence, the capital) that can be drawn from our social networks. Resources that are available and can be mobilized from our family members, friends, acquaintances, etc, such as help if you’re sick, an economic help, information, etc. I examined three central elements of social capital: bonding social capital (related to close ties, such as family members and friends), bridging social capital (related mainly to weak ties, such as acquaintances), and resources. I also looked at civic engagement and social trust, although analyzing them as independent concepts, and not as elements of social capital. My main hypothesis was that Internet usage is positively associated with individuals’ perceived social capital. The research was based on a mixed methods approach: a survey (417 questionnaires administered face-to-face in the city of Lisbon – stratified random sample) and a set of semi-structured interviews with Internet users and non-users (I wanted to use the non-users as a control group, in a quasi-experiment model). PhD grant by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT (2008-2011).
Too old for technology?
Portugal, like most European and Western countries, is in the midst of two significant societal trends: one is an aging population, and two is the uptake of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by large segments of society. However, worldwide statistics show that the elderly are the most info-excluded group. In addition, there is a common idea – extremely visible in popular culture – that supports that the elderly are technophobic. With the aim of contributing to public policies relating to ICT inclusion, Professor Fausto Amaro and I applied a survey to a stratified random sample of 500 individuals over 64 years of age living in Lisbon, Portugal. Basing our research in a mixed methods approach, we also conducted 10 semi-structured interviews. Our research goals were to explore elderly usage of ICT, namely mobile phones, computers and Internet and their perceptions of these technologies. Of those surveyed, 72% owned a mobile phone, 13% used computers, and 10% used the Internet. ICT usage was predicted by age and education. With the interviews, we could observe that the respondents had a positive perception of the mentioned ICT. We also decided to conduct more interviews as interesting elements emerged, as proxy usage and the impact of inter-generational relationships. We noted that grandchildren were the main supporters of the adoption of technology by their grandparents. This study was coordinated by Professor Fausto Amaro and funded by UTL/Santander Totta Scientific Prize. Check our articles on the subject.
Digital Governance Worldwide/ 100-City E-Government Website Survey
I conducted surveys for the digital governance projects coordinated by the E-Governance Institute of Rutgers University: Digital Governance in Municipalities Worldwide (2005); Digital Governance in Municipalities Worldwide (2007); U.S. Municipalities E-Governance Survey (2008); Digital Governance in Municipalities Worldwide (2009).
Digital Cities and Citizenship
This was my master’s research – a longitudinal study of two Portuguese digital cities, Gaia Global and Aveiro Digital (2205-2007). The main goal of the study was to analyze if these digital cities could reinforce citizenship (in an ontological perspective of action) and act as a catalyst for local development. The results showed that the digital cities I examined attempted to enable citizenship by promoting essential elements for its exercise – making information and services available, facilitating interaction between citizens and the government, and improving the literacy of individuals in ICT. But, they were not yet a true social interaction platform: they only provide limited information and services that would facilitate bi-directional participation, intervention and debate between citizens, the community and those that govern them. They seem to have, nevertheless, some impact in the social and economic development of the city/regions they support. Their initiatives to fight info-exclusion and bridge the digital divide were successful, namely the Internet Space projects. They have wired the city, delivered information and e-services, helped local enterprises to introduce ICT in their back and front offices, and trained some members of the community. For more information, please check my publications on the subject. Grant by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT (2005-2007).
Public Administration and Competitiveness in a Compared Perspective
In this project, I was analyzing the implementation and development of e-government initiatives in three countries of the European Union: Portugal, Spain and Ireland. I looked at specific case studies and used two indicators to assess their e-government level: online sophistication and availability online. The results showed that Portugal, in spite of its relative social-economic inferiority, was more advanced in the e-government sector. The project was coordinated by Professor João Bilhim and funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT (2005-2007).
