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Brazil's democracy has frequently been described as unconsolidated,
its citizens as apathetic and uninterested in politics. But in
Porto Alegre, a host city to the World Social Forum, thousands of
ordinary citizens participate in local governance, making binding
decisions on urban policy on a daily basis. While there has been
immense attention paid to the practice of participatory democracy
in Porto Alegre, this is the first book to examine the politics,
culture, and day-to-day activities of its citizens. Drawing on the
rich tradition of urban ethnography and political theory, the book
argues that Porto Alegre's importance may lie not just with its
effective governance, but with its new political logic, namely a
greater access to government functions and government officials for
traditionally disenfranchised citizens. In an age characterized by
seemingly strong voter apathy, this study has global implications.
The author shows that in the discussions on the failings of
democracy in industrialized countries like the United States, most
people may be missing what is central to civic engagement -
unimpeded access to government.
The Civic Imagination provides a rich empirical description of
civic life and a broader discussion of the future of democracy in
contemporary America. Over the course of a year, five researchers
observed and participated in 7 civic organisations in a mid-sized
US city. They draw on this ethnographic evidence to map the 'civic
imaginations' that motivate citizenship engagement in America
today. The book unpacks how contemporary Americans think about and
act toward positive social and political change while the authors'
findings challenge contemporary assertions of American apathy. This
will be an important book for students and academics interested in
political science and sociology.
The Civic Imagination provides a rich empirical description of
civic life and a broader discussion of the future of democracy in
contemporary America. Over the course of a year, five researchers
observed and participated in 7 civic organisations in a mid-sized
US city. They draw on this ethnographic evidence to map the 'civic
imaginations' that motivate citizenship engagement in America
today. The book unpacks how contemporary Americans think about and
act toward positive social and political change while the authors'
findings challenge contemporary assertions of American apathy. This
will be an important book for students and academics interested in
political science and sociology.
Local participation is the new democratic imperative. In the United
States, three-fourths of all cities have developed opportunities
for citizen involvement in strategic planning. The World Bank has
invested $85 billion over the last decade to support community
participation worldwide. But even as these opportunities have
become more popular, many contend that they have also become less
connected to actual centers of power and the jurisdictions where
issues relevant to communities are decided. With this book,
Gianpaolo Baiocchi and Ernesto Ganuza consider the opportunities
and challenges of democratic participation. Examining how one
mechanism of participation has traveled the world-with its
inception in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and spread to Europe and North
America-they show how participatory instruments have become more
focused on the formation of public opinion and are far less
attentive to, or able to influence, actual reform. Though the
current impact and benefit of participatory forms of government is
far more ambiguous than its advocates would suggest, Popular
Democracy concludes with suggestions of how participation could
better achieve its political ideals.
Brazil's democracy has frequently been described as unconsolidated,
its citizens as apathetic and uninterested in politics. But in
Porto Alegre, a host city to the World Social Forum, thousands of
ordinary citizens participate in local governance, making binding
decisions on urban policy on a daily basis. While there has been
immense attention paid to the practice of participatory democracy
in Porto Alegre, this is the first book to examine the politics,
culture, and day-to-day activities of its citizens. Drawing on the
rich tradition of urban ethnography and political theory, the book
argues that Porto Alegre's importance may lie not just with its
effective governance, but with its new political logic, namely a
greater access to government functions and government officials for
traditionally disenfranchised citizens. In an age characterized by
seemingly strong voter apathy, this study has global implications.
The author shows that in the discussions on the failings of
democracy in industrialized countries like the United States, most
people may be missing what is central to civic engagement -
unimpeded access to government.
The contributors to Beyond Civil Society argue that the
conventional distinction between civic and uncivic protest, and
between activism in institutions and in the streets, does not
accurately describe the complex interactions of forms and locations
of activism characteristic of twenty-first-century Latin America.
They show that most contemporary political activism in the region
relies upon both confrontational collective action and civic
participation at different moments. Operating within fluid,
dynamic, and heterogeneous fields of contestation, activists have
not been contained by governments or conventional political
categories, but rather have overflowed their boundaries, opening
new democratic spaces or extending existing ones in the process.
These essays offer fresh insight into how the politics of activism,
participation, and protest are manifest in Latin America today
while providing a new conceptual language and an interpretive
framework for examining issues that are critical for the future of
the region and beyond. Contributors. Sonia E. Alvarez, Kiran Asher,
Leonardo Avritzer, Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Andrea Cornwall, Graciela
DiMarco, Arturo Escobar, Raphael Hoetmer, Benjamin Junge, Luis E.
Lander, Agustin Lao-Montes, Margarita Lopez Maya, Jose Antonio
Lucero, Graciela Monteagudo, Amalia Pallares, Jeffrey W. Rubin, Ana
Claudia Teixeira, Millie Thayer
The contributors to Beyond Civil Society argue that the
conventional distinction between civic and uncivic protest, and
between activism in institutions and in the streets, does not
accurately describe the complex interactions of forms and locations
of activism characteristic of twenty-first-century Latin America.
They show that most contemporary political activism in the region
relies upon both confrontational collective action and civic
participation at different moments. Operating within fluid,
dynamic, and heterogeneous fields of contestation, activists have
not been contained by governments or conventional political
categories, but rather have overflowed their boundaries, opening
new democratic spaces or extending existing ones in the process.
These essays offer fresh insight into how the politics of activism,
participation, and protest are manifest in Latin America today
while providing a new conceptual language and an interpretive
framework for examining issues that are critical for the future of
the region and beyond. Contributors. Sonia E. Alvarez, Kiran Asher,
Leonardo Avritzer, Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Andrea Cornwall, Graciela
DiMarco, Arturo Escobar, Raphael Hoetmer, Benjamin Junge, Luis E.
Lander, Agustin Lao-Montes, Margarita Lopez Maya, Jose Antonio
Lucero, Graciela Monteagudo, Amalia Pallares, Jeffrey W. Rubin, Ana
Claudia Teixeira, Millie Thayer
Despite increasing interest in how involvement in local government
can improve governance and lead to civic renewal, questions remain
about participation's real impact. This book investigates
participatory budgeting--a mainstay now of World Bank, UNDP, and
USAID development programs--to ask whether its reforms truly make a
difference in deepening democracy and empowering civil society.
Looking closely at eight cities in Brazil, comparing those that
carried out participatory budgeting reforms between 1997 and 2000
with those that did not, the authors examine whether and how
institutional reforms take effect.
"Bootstrapping Democracy" highlights the importance of local-level
innovations and democratic advances, charting a middle path between
those who theorize that globalization hollows out democracy and
those who celebrate globalization as a means of fostering
democratic values. Uncovering the state's role in creating an
"associational environment," it reveals the contradictory ways
institutional reforms shape the democratic capabilities of civil
society and how outcomes are conditioned by relations between the
state and civil society.
Local participation is the new democratic imperative. In the United
States, three-fourths of all cities have developed opportunities
for citizen involvement in strategic planning. The World Bank has
invested $85 billion over the last decade to support community
participation worldwide. But even as these opportunities have
become more popular, many contend that they have also become less
connected to actual centers of power and the jurisdictions where
issues relevant to communities are decided. With this book,
Gianpaolo Baiocchi and Ernesto Ganuza consider the opportunities
and challenges of democratic participation. Examining how one
mechanism of participation has traveled the world—with its
inception in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and spread to Europe and North
America—they show how participatory instruments have become more
focused on the formation of public opinion and are far less
attentive to, or able to influence, actual reform. Though the
current impact and benefit of participatory forms of government is
far more ambiguous than its advocates would suggest, Popular
Democracy concludes with suggestions of how participation could
better achieve its political ideals.
Despite increasing interest in how involvement in local government
can improve governance and lead to civic renewal, questions remain
about participation's real impact. This book investigates
participatory budgeting--a mainstay now of World Bank, UNDP, and
USAID development programs--to ask whether its reforms truly make a
difference in deepening democracy and empowering civil society.
Looking closely at eight cities in Brazil, comparing those that
carried out participatory budgeting reforms between 1997 and 2000
with those that did not, the authors examine whether and how
institutional reforms take effect.
"Bootstrapping Democracy" highlights the importance of local-level
innovations and democratic advances, charting a middle path between
those who theorize that globalization hollows out democracy and
those who celebrate globalization as a means of fostering
democratic values. Uncovering the state's role in creating an
"associational environment," it reveals the contradictory ways
institutional reforms shape the democratic capabilities of civil
society and how outcomes are conditioned by relations between the
state and civil society.
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