INTERNET ADOPTION IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: THE CASE OF PORTUGUESE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

This article is an attempt to create awareness for the use of Web marketing techniques in the public sector. This is a conceptual paper that starts with brief explanations of the basic notions of Public and Web Marketing, followed by a description of how can these two concepts be related. Hereafter, a generalized picture of the electronic presence of Portuguese Public Institutions shall be exposed and, finally, some conclusions are discussed and several ideas for future research are proposed. Besides the fact that Public Managers are now more aware of the advantages of Web Marketing, the key message is that there is still plenty of room for the development of the application of Web Marketing techniques within the Portuguese public sector. This study is useful to public managers who are interested in formulating a strategy that fosters Web Marketing in the public sector. In addition, with the identification of some gaps in the literature, it offers interesting ideas for future research.