Technology and justice: determinants and effects of implementing the electronic judicial process in the court of justice of Minas Gerais

Abstract

This study examines the digitalization of the judiciary through the implementation of the Processo Judicial Eletrônico (PJe) in the first-instance courts of the Tribunal de Justiça de Minas Gerais (TJMG), focusing on the adoption of the system and its effects on judicial performance. The study is structured in two chapters. The first chapter analyzes the determinants of PJe adoption, while the second chapter evaluates its impact on judicial efficiency. The digitalization of the judiciary, an initiative of the Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ), aims to replace physical processes with electronic ones, increasing transparency and expediting case processing. However, the implementation of this initiative has not been uniform, with regional and institutional variations reflecting the state of implementation. The initial chapter explores the factors influencing PJe adoption across the TJMG courts from 2015 to 2021, emphasizing the digital infrastructure of municipalities, such as internet speed, as a salient factor. The results indicate that, in civil courts, digital infrastructure exhibits a positive correlation with adoption, while in criminal courts, the effect is unclear. The second chapter examines the effects of the PJe system on court performance, considering its gradual implementation over the years. To do so, it employs a two-way fixed effects (TWFE) model and a multi-period difference-in-differences approach. The data analysis reveals that, in civil courts, there were no significant improvements in efficiency during the period under review. In contrast, criminal courts experienced an increase in both court’s and judges' productivity, in the number of disposed cases, and in the efficiency of issuing judgments. However, there were no substantial changes in the backlog rate, the demand fulfillment index, or the number of pending cases. The findings indicate that the digital transformation of the judiciary is not uniform, but rather exhibits variations based on the nature of the court and the availability of local infrastructure. Public policies aimed at fostering innovation in the public sector must take these regional and functional disparities into consideration, allocating resources not solely to infrastructure development but also to the training of personnel and the streamlining of processes.