The sustainability of participatory institutions and the neoliberal dedemocratization of local political regimes

Abstract

The objective of this article is to address the transformation of local political regimes using the case of the Municipal Councils of Porto Alegre, a city that was a benchmark in participatory democracy. The study is based on historical-analytical methodology and case study, with a qualitative methodology. Using the concept of political projects, inspired by Gramsci, along with neo-institutionalist and participatory theories, data are analyzed that demonstrate the effects of the political context on the transformations of the institutional design of participation. It is argued that the disempowerment of Municipal Councils originates from the resistance of participating actors to the implementation of a pro-market urban regime and neoliberal policies. The data set, combined with other studies, indicates that democratic setbacks have meant the neutralization of the power of influence acquired by popular actors in the political regime of Porto Alegre since redemocratization, carried out by an entrepreneurial coalition, with an elitist and authoritarian profile, strengthened by the new national context of democratic retraction. The analysis also examines the challenges to the sustainability of institutionalized participation in contexts of declining State power held by historical political allies.
Keywords: Participatory Institutions; Municipal Councils; Political Context; Dedemocratization; Political Regimes.