27 Years of New Participatory Organizations in Brazilian Democracy (1988-2015): The Case of Municipal Councils

Abstract

This article discusses the diffusion and configuration of Municipal Councils in Brazil, more specifically in Rio de Janeiro. With the return to democratic government in Brazil and with the inclusion of new participatory organizations in the 1988 Constitution, unprecedented power was given to local spheres of political action, so that for some authors, Brazil became a paradigmatic case in the theory of participatory democracy. After 27 years of this kind of democratic innovation, this article provides an overview of the diffusion and configuration of the Municipal Councils. Using census data from the 2009 Survey of Basic Municipal Information (Munic) and fieldwork undertaken in Municipal
Councils of Rio de Janeiro in 2013 and 2014, this article shows that, far from being a country where new participatory organizations are well-established, Brazil needs to expand and better consolidate these political instruments if democracy is to be deepened.