Abstract
How and where do participatory institutions contribute to the deepening of democracy? Substantial variation in the outcomes produced by participatory institutions is best explained by the incentives of elected governments to delegate authority and the capacity of civil society organizations to use contentious politics in and outside of these institutions. In eight cases of Brazil's participatory budgeting program, two municipalities produced strong results; two other municipalities produced failed programs; and four municipalities produced mixed, somewhat contradictory results. Failed programs can have a pernicious effect on efforts to deepen democracy, while the most successful programs improve the quality of local democratic processes.
Journal Information
Comparative Politics is an international journal that publishes scholarly articles devoted to the comparative analysis of political institutions and behavior. It was founded in 1968 to further the development of comparative political theory and the application of comparative theoretical analysis to the empirical investigation of political issues. Comparative Politics communicates new ideas and research findings to social scientists, scholars, and students. It is indispensable to experts in research organizations, foundations, consulates, and embassies throughout the world. Comparative Politics is sponsored, edited, and published by the Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York. Opinions, findings, or conclusions expressed in the journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the City University of New York. Comparative Politics is published quarterly in January, April, July, and October.
Publisher Information
The Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York, located in the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York at 365 Fifth Avenue in New York, consists of a community of scholars dedicated to the tasks of acquiring, expanding, and transmitting reliable knowledge about political phenomena. Its essential function is to educate professional political scientists capable of independent research and qualified for careers in academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. Although the Ph.D. Program in Political Science features a diversity of approaches, all students are expected both to specialize and to develop an understanding of the discipline as a whole. Comparative Politics was founded by the Political Science Program of the City University of New York in 1968 to further its scholarly mission by promoting research in the field of comparative politics and is an integral part of its contribution to the discipline of political science.
Abstract
Political theorists and empirical scholars have long assumed that democracy and participation are necessarily in tension. Partly for this reason, research on participatory democracy has focused on "mini-publics"—relatively small-scale and/or local practices. Through an exploration of Brazil's National Public Policy Conferences, we provide the first evidence that participatory governance practices can directly shape important national public policy outcomes at the national level. Our findings call into question the longstanding critique that participatory practices are impractical on a large scale and thus unimportant to the overall functioning and quality of democracy. We find that participatory practices can deepen democratic regimes by opening the doors for greater and more direct civil society input into the substantive content of national governance.
Journal Information
Comparative Politics is an international journal that publishes scholarly articles devoted to the comparative analysis of political institutions and behavior. It was founded in 1968 to further the development of comparative political theory and the application of comparative theoretical analysis to the empirical investigation of political issues. Comparative Politics communicates new ideas and research findings to social scientists, scholars, and students. It is indispensable to experts in research organizations, foundations, consulates, and embassies throughout the world. Comparative Politics is sponsored, edited, and published by the Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York. Opinions, findings, or conclusions expressed in the journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the City University of New York. Comparative Politics is published quarterly in January, April, July, and October.
Publisher Information
The Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York, located in the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York at 365 Fifth Avenue in New York, consists of a community of scholars dedicated to the tasks of acquiring, expanding, and transmitting reliable knowledge about political phenomena. Its essential function is to educate professional political scientists capable of independent research and qualified for careers in academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. Although the Ph.D. Program in Political Science features a diversity of approaches, all students are expected both to specialize and to develop an understanding of the discipline as a whole. Comparative Politics was founded by the Political Science Program of the City University of New York in 1968 to further its scholarly mission by promoting research in the field of comparative politics and is an integral part of its contribution to the discipline of political science.