Contexts (un)suitable for citizens' engagement in social control

Abstract This paper began with a bibliographic framework on the influence of context on the objects of analysis, to better understand the characteristics and the engagement of citizens in municipal areas of Minas Gerais state. The aim was to identify the aspects that contribute to the creation of an environment favorable to democratic participation. By using factor analysis, it was possible to point to three important factors relating to the engagement of citizens in these municipalities: the Municipal Structure, the Institutional Context and Social Mobilization. Based on this information, an index was devised that enabled one to determine the municipalities that were more or less favorable to such engagement by their residents. The study's results strengthened the arguments in favor of prioritizing in terms of supporting those municipalities in less favorable situations, thereby enabling their citizens to become effectively involved and consequently help in providing appropriate solutions to improve the municipal spaces in which they reside.