Between Liberal and Participatory Democracy

Tensions and Dilemmas of Leftist Politics in Brazil

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4018741
AutoresGünther Schönleitner (London School of Economics and Political Science, autor de correspondencia)
Año2006
Volumen38
Número1
Páginas35-63
Fecha de publicación2006-02-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Latin American Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0022-216X • E-ISSN: 1469-767X
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0022216x05000283
OpenAlexW2156077966
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas12

Brazil's left, especially the Workers' Party (PT), largely views civil society participation as a means of correcting the shortcomings of liberal democracy, and to break clientelistic politics. This article questions the underlying assumptions that civil society is inherently a pro-democratic force and that participatory arrangements enjoy sufficient autonomy from local power dynamics to democratise state action. Effective participation requires a positive interplay between government commitment, civic virtues, and supportive institutional design. Participatory democracy presupposes a well-functioning representative democracy rather than curing its ills. The article compares four municipal health councils in towns with varying combinations of government commitment and civicness, which highlights a complex interaction of political, civic, and institutional factors that shaped deliberative participation

Autonomy · Citizen journalism · Civil society · Deliberative democracy · Democracy · Left-wing politics · Participatory democracy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science) · Law · Politics and Society in Latin America · Public Administration · Public Policy and Administration Research