Abstract
Abstract This article analyzed the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board, an innovative channel of communication between civil society and the local government’s executive branch. This exploratory research is based on an intrinsic case study, aiming to understand the operation of this advisory board and how it relates to other participatory instances in Brazil. The study adopted semi-structured interviews with members of the advisory board and representatives of the local government, participant observation of meetings of the management’s board, and analysis of official documents. Data were analyzed based on the theory of deliberative democracy and studies on participatory bodies. The results indicate that the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board is partially aligned with the deliberative democracy, and strongly connected to the federal and state-level Economic and Social Development Advisory Boards. Due to the specificities of these instances, we suggest the creation of a new category in the literature on institutional participation - “Governmental Advisory Board.”
Highlights
This article analyzed the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board, an innovative channel of communication between civil society and the local government’s executive branch. This exploratory research is based on an intrinsic case study, aiming to understand the operation of this advisory board and how it relates to other participatory instances in Brazil
Data were analyzed based on the theory of deliberative democracy and studies on participatory bodies
The results indicate that the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board is partially aligned with the deliberative democracy, and strongly connected to the federal and state-level Councils of Social and Economic Development
Summary
A confluência das agendas de desenvolvimento e democratização colocou a participação social no centro da discussão sobre políticas públicas, baseando-se na argumentação de que as esferas participativas têm o potencial de aprimorar a democracia, melhorar a efetividade das políticas públicas e formar melhores cidadãos e governos (Cornwall & Coelho, 2007). Os modelos participativo e deliberativo fazem uma crítica à representação política (Nobre, 2004), defendendo a participação direta dos cidadãos nos processos de tomada de decisão sobre questões coletivas. Considerando que os espaços participativos acabam envolvendo elementos de representação, Céli Jardim Pinto coloca a seguinte questão: “Até que ponto a substituição da representação pela participação como forma de solucionar os problemas da democracia representativa não incorre nos mesmos limites delineados por esta, sem que, no entanto, se possa manter suas salvaguardas?” A autora, bem como outros pesquisadores, observa que uma das questões mais calorosamente debatidas em relação a participação atualmente é a dicotomia entre democracia e inclusão, porque sociedades com alta desigualdade demonstram ter problemas significativos em relação à inclusão dos cidadãos mais pobres e marginalizados (Cornwall & Coelho, 2007). Apesar de sua recente expansão e avanços, sua implementação não é neutra e os modelos enfrentam cada qual seus específicos dilemas
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