The Politics of Local Participatory Democracy in Latin America: Institutions, Actors, and Interactions

284 Pages·2015·12.36 MB·English

by  Françoise Montambeault

The Politics of Local Participatory Democracy
in Latin America

The Politics of Local
Participatory Democracy
in Latin America
, ,
instit u tions ac tor s

a nd inter ac tions
Françoise Montambeault
stanford university press
stanford, california
Stanford University Press
Stanford, California
© 2016 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of Stanford University
Press.
Printed in the United States of America on acid- free, archival- quality paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Montambeault, Françoise, author.
The politics of local participatory democracy in Latin America : institutions, actors,
and interactions / Françoise Montambeault.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8047-9516-6 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Local government—Mexico—Citizen participation—Case studies. 2. Democracy—
Mexico—Case studies. 3. Local government—Brazil—Citizen participation—Case
studies. 4. Democracy—Brazil—Case studies. I. Title.
JS2117.A2M66 2015
323'.0420972—dc23
2015011255
ISBN 978-0-8047-9657-6 (electronic)
To Victor and Elsa

Contents
List of Abbreviations ix
Acknowledgments xiii
1. Introduction 1
2. How Does Success Vary? Redefining Democratic Success 18
3. Why Do Cases Vary? A Comparative Approach 42
4. Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl: Participatory Democracy
or Clientelistic Participation? 66
5. León: Participation as Fragmented Inclusion 99
6. Recife: From Clientelism to Disempowering Cooption 136
7. Belo Horizonte: The Route Toward Democratic Cooperation? 175
8. Conclusion: Comparative Lessons for Participatory
Democracy Theory 215
Notes 231
Bibliography 239
Index 255

Abbreviations
ABM Associação Brasileira dos Municipios (Brazilian Municipalities
Association)
ABONG Associação Brasileira de Organizações Não-Governamentais
(Brazilian Association of Non-Governmental Organizations)
ADC Associações de Defesa Coletiva (Collective Defense Associations)
ANC Assembléia Nacional Constituinte (Constituent National
Assembly)
AMMAC Asociación de los Municipios de México, A.C. (Association of
Mexican Municipalities)
ARENA Aliança Renovadora Nacional (Alliance for National Renewal)
CDS Convenio de Desarrollo Social (Social Development
Agreement)
CDP Comités Democráticos e Populares de Bairros (Popular and
Democratic Neighborhood Committees)
CEB Comunidades Eclesiais de Base (Basic Ecclesial Communities)
CNC Confederación Nacional Campesina (National Peasants
Confederation)
CNOP Confederación Nacional de Organizaciones Populares (National
Confederation of Popular Organizations)
COCEOM Central the Comercientes y Colonos Estabelecidos (Central of
Established Businesses and Residents)
CODEMUN Consejo de Desarrollo Municipal (Municipal Development
Council)
COMFORÇA Comissão de Acompanhamento e Fiscalização da Execução do
Orçamento Participativo (Commission of Budget Oversight and
Monitoring)
COMUL Comissão de Urbanização e Legalização da Posse da Terra (Local
Commission for the Tenure Regularization and Urbanization)