The sustainability of Participatory Institutions and the neoliberal dedemocratization of local political regimes

Abstract

This article addresses the transformation of Porto Alegre's Municipal Councils for public policy, as part of the dedemocratization of the city's political regime, which has been gaining momentum over the last decade. The study adopts the Gramscian-inspired concept of political projects, along with elements of neoinstitutionalist theories, the political process, resource mobilization, and participatory theories on the relationship between the state and civil actors, to explain the democratic setbacks in the city, which was an international benchmark for citizen participation. Based on the notion of political context, it is argued that the disempowerment of important Municipal Councils occurred due to the resistance imposed by participants to the municipal government's implementation of an entrepreneurial and pro-market urban regime based on neoliberal policies. Along with the setbacks in other participatory institutions for budgeting and urban planning, discussed in previous studies, the transformations of the Municipal Councils represent a shift in Porto Alegre's political regime. The study uses historical-analytical methodology and is based on secondary data, news from local media and civil organizations, in addition to relying on previous academic studies on the topic.