A dinâmica participativa e deliberativa em concelhos de saúde municipal e estadual: uma analise comparada

Abstract

This dissertation is concerned with issues related to the relationship between civil society and the State, which are essential for thinking about the implementation of participatory public policies. The empirical analysis developed in this work deals with the transformations which impacted Brazils health policies after the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution, particularly with the establishment of the Participatory Public Policies Councils. A new form of representation emerged within the context of articulating the proposals for wider and diverse forms of social participation in decisionmaking deliberative spaces. The idea of democratic inclusion became a central category for thinking about this process. Hence, the analysis presented in this study focused on the level of political inclusion which can be seen in two Health Councils: the Minas Gerais State Health Council and the Belo Horizonte Municipal Health Council. The choice of these two councils is justified methodologically because we believe that different government levels, where public policies are processed, can be regarded as fundamental variables for thinking about the possibilities for and constraints to participation. Through the analysis of documents, including the direct observation of formals meetings and some interviews with council members, we noticed how certain issues related to the adopted institutional designs and the deliberative process came to light. In our view a deliberative process is one which encompasses processes of argumentation, justification and political decision-making. Among the main conclusions that we have reached in this study, it is worth noting that governmental political projects, which privilege the participation of social actors to varying degrees, are important when considering how democratic and inclusive public policy councils, created at different levels, can and should be.