Democracia, participação popular e desenvolvimento: os mandatos coletivos nas câmaras municipais

Abstract

This study focuses on the dynamics between popular participation in politics within institutional spaces, specifically in the performance of collective mandates and their working methods in Municipal Chambers. The relationship between these groups and the adoption of their own strategies to propose greater citizen participation in the process of public policy debate and formulation in municipalities was evaluated based on the participating mandates. The objective was to assess whether the actions of Collective Mandates from different locations work to expand popular participation through Municipal Chambers, examining whether there are specific strategies and methods to enhance dialogue between the government and organized civil society. The research justification lies in the need to advance studies on collective mandates beyond the electoral period, not only mapping their composition and the legal aspects of their performance but primarily analyzing their dynamics and articulation after being elected. Through the “Collective Subject Discourse” method, it was observed that Collective Mandates not only assess popular participation as a central element for exercising citizenship but also seek to reclaim existing spaces for participation. These groups also develop and propose other methods to enhance dialogue between institutional politics and the population, beyond the tools already provided for in the regulations of Municipal Chambers. This research stems from discussions and debates conducted within the interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Development, Technologies, and Societies - PPG-DtecS at the Federal University of Itajubá.