Consultative participation in Brazil: the case of the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board

Abstract This article analyzed the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board, an innovative channel of communication between civil society and the local government’s executive branch. This exploratory research is based on an intrinsic case study, aiming to understand the operation of this advisory board and how it relates to other participatory instances in Brazil. The study adopted semi-structured interviews with members of the advisory board and representatives of the local government, participant observation of meetings of the management’s board, and analysis of official documents. Data were analyzed based on the theory of deliberative democracy and studies on participatory bodies. The results indicate that the São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board is partially aligned with the deliberative democracy, and strongly connected to the federal and state-level Economic and Social Development Advisory Boards. Due to the specificities of these instances, we suggest the creation of a new category in the literature on institutional participation - “Governmental Advisory Board.”摘要 本文对圣保罗市咨询委员会（São Paulo Municipal Advisory Board）展开分析，该委员会是民间社会与地方政府行政部门之间的创新沟通渠道。本探索性研究采用内在个案研究范式，旨在厘清该咨询委员会的运作逻辑，及其与巴西境内其他参与式治理载体的关联机制。研究采用三类研究方法：对咨询委员会成员与地方政府代表开展半结构化访谈，对委员会管理会议实施参与式观察，并对官方文件进行文本分析。本研究以协商民主理论与参与式治理机构相关研究为分析框架开展数据分析。结果显示，圣保罗市咨询委员会与协商民主理念存在部分契合，且与联邦及州级经济与社会发展咨询委员会（Economic and Social Development Advisory Boards）存在紧密关联。鉴于此类参与式载体的特殊性，本研究建议在制度性参与相关研究文献中增设全新类别——“政府咨询委员会（Governmental Advisory Board）”。