The search for participatory democracy in Brazil: active citizenship and impasses

Abstract

In this paper, aim to investigate the possibilities of combating the stalemates of representative democracy in Brazil, especially through the ideas of the indoctrinators Paulo Bonavides and Leonardo Avritzer. The first addresses the idea of participatory representative democracy, where the people have a key role as an active political subject. Instruments will also be analyzed for the population to have greater power to participate in political decision-making, such as the mechanisms exposed in art. 14 of the Federal Constitution of 1988, among others that will be studied. The second author proposes measures of political reform that aim to combat these impasses. Thus, the central problem arises: can participatory democracy, through greater popular engagement in political decision-making, provide an answer to the impasses and crises experienced by Brazilian democracy? Accordingly, the aim is to highlight the importance of popular participation for the protection and expansion of democracy in Brazil and the pursuit of an active citizenship, a citizen action that goes beyond merely voting, with the answer being yes: participatory democracy can indeed address these impasses. This work is based on the deductive method of analysis, primarily through bibliographical research, as well as documentary sources.