Marcello Baquero

Cultura política participativa e desconsolidação democrática: reflexões sobre o Brasil contemporâneo

Exame de alguns dos fatores historico-estruturais, cuja influencia tem se mostrado significativa na estruturacao de padroes de atitudes e comportamentos de desconfianca e desencanto da sociedade brasileira em relacao as suas instituicoes politicas e, principalmente, aos politicos. Os resultados do estudo indicam que a existencia de fatores dessa natureza acabam por descaracterizar a democracia no pais e permitem o surgimento de formas antidemocraticas de governar.

Democracia formal, cultura política informal e capital social no Brasil

In this article we analyse the theoretical distortions that emerge when the Brazilian democratic construction process is analyzed utilizing exclusively the institutional approach. This approach does not explain the ambiguities between the emergence of a market economy and a passive and distrustful society of their elected officials and political institutions. In that context, adverse political conditions are produced that do not contribute for the democratic strengthening and the institutionalization of a participative political culture. The question to answer is: is it possible to develop political capacity of citizens through social capital as an alternative mechanism of citizenship? The results of the data examined in this paper are not too convincing.

Eleições, estabilidade democrática e socialização política no Brasil: análise longitudinal da persistência de valores nas eleições presidenciais de 2002 a 2010

The main objective of this article is to examine the recent debates about the factors that explain democratic stability in Brazil. Based upon the concept of political socialization it analyses the impact of elections on the strengthening of democracy and the importance of norms and values for the future of democracy. We think that presidential elections in the Brazilian case could be characterized as an important moment in the political socialization process. To test this proposition we use the data from the Brazilian Electoral Study (ESEB) conducted in 2002, 2006 and 2010. It is analyzed if age generates differences in the values and attitudes manifested by people, with more democratic experience leading, to the materialization of a political culture congruent with democracy, or if they are defined by the electoral context, analyzing the dimensions dividing population by cohorts by age, and by electoral choice in each turnout. We conclude that political culture has changed to support more democratic values, but the contradictions remaining indicates a hybrid culture that does not favor a poliarchic representative democracy.

Eleições e capital social: uma análise das eleições presidenciais no Brasil (2002-2006)

This article has as a main objective analyze the influence of electoral process (presidential) in time 1 (2002), in Brazil in the constitution or not of social capital in time 2 (2006), both in the institutional dimension, as well as its informal dimension. Based upon electoral data collected by ESEB (Electoral Studies in Brazil) we postulate the hypothesis that in economic and ethical adverse conditions, formal procedures do not influence the citizens formation of social capital and political empowerment, instead it generates negative predispositions in relation to politics. In these circumstances it prevails untrusty political culture, allowing the prevalence of factors in the electoral process. In this case, in the election and reelection of Lula in 2002 and 2006 respectively.

INSTITUIÇÕES GOVERNAMENTAIS E PARTICIPAÇÃO CIDADÃ: FINANÇAS PÚBLICAS INCLUSIVAS EM PORTO ALEGRE - BRASIL

A recurrent theme in political science links new forms of participatory democracy to citizens’ attitudes and their willingness to abide with their obligation to pay taxes. In this paper we examine how the citizens of Porto Alegre - Brazil view tax paying, from the perspective of material and non-material benefits. Using survey data collected in Porto Alegre in 2003 with 687 interviews, we find that, overall poor sectors show a tendency to support tax paying because of the material benefits, while middle sectors also have supporting attitudes, but for non-material benefits. Through the use of logit regression we find empirical evidence of a connection between trust in participatory budget and citizens support for the municipal government.

Bases de um novo contrato social? : impostos e orçamento participativo em Porto Alegre

In spite of the growing interest about alternative forms of political participation, among which the participatory budget (OP), we know little about how this form of involvement is affecting the structuring of a more efficient social contract. Such situation, perhaps, is due to the fact that the payment of taxes is considered a legal obligation; therefore, the argument is that there would be little to be studied on this field. This article argues that how citizens position themselves about the payment of taxes influences other domains of politics, such as institutional trust and levels of political involvement. Through a survey with porto-alegrenses, the results indicate that the existence of a negative structural dimension insofar as payment of taxes is concerned undermines the actual social contract.

Sem confiança a democracia se torna inerte. É o capital social uma resposta? Um estudo sobre a América Latina

Why do the countries in Latin America seem to experience a more ineffective economic and political development compared with the more industrialized nations? This is the central question that underlies this article. The paper argues that despite the undeniable advances in the institutional poliarquic engineering, serious problems of political representation exist, as well as problems in the economic and social dimension. This situation, in our point of view, is due to the existence of a reactive knowledge, which turns difficult the development of new strategies of analysis capable of incorporating the complex nature of Latin America. In this context, we argue that the type of democracy in this region is of an inertial nature, because the matrix of social exclusion, although new, remains intact. One of the mechanisms that could be useful to create alternative knowledge is social capital, mainly because it allows testing the new theorems generated by new perspectives of analysis. Through the use of secondary data, we observe the existence of a hybrid and passive political culture, which does not contribute to the establishment of a normative basis of support for democracy. We conclude by showing, based on empirical data, that the concept of social capital is very useful in the promotion of collective action and consequently in the advance of democracy. Key words: Latin America, social capital, democracy.

Corrupção, cultura política e capital social negativo no Brasil

Um dos problemas no fortalecimento da democracia brasileira e a continuada corrupcao de gestores publicos e politicos. O resultado se manifesta na institucionalizacao de uma cultura politica que mostra uma crescente alienacao e apatia dos cidadaos em relacao a politica. Esse comportamento tem sua origem na percepcao dos cidadaos de que as autoridades publicas nao podem ser confiadas, produzindo uma democracia inercial com baixos niveis de capital social. O objetivo deste trabalho e examinar a relacao entre as praticas de corrupcao pelas autoridades eleitas com a estruturacao de uma cultura politica defeituosa no Brasil. A hipotese de trabalho e de que casos graves de corrupcao institucionalizada sao possiveis em virtude dos lacos sociais invisiveis criados entre as autoridades publicas. Neste sentido, o capital social, de natureza negativa constrange avancos substantivos na democracia brasileira.

A Política Comparada na América Latina: dilemas e desafios no Brasil

This article seeks to analyze the evolution of Comparative Political studies about Latin America, highlighting the Brazilian case. The paper begins with a conceptual understanding of what could be considered as comparative studies in Political Science. In order to evaluate the present situation of comparative research in this region, and especially in Brazil, the scientific production was examined giving emphasis to published articles in the most prestigious journals of political science in Brazil. As it was verified the small weight of comparative studies over the total studies of political science, the study attempts to discuss how the comparative method has been employed in political science graduate programs, whether from the point of view of human resources formation as well as in the methodological dimension as it appeared in thesis and dissertations. Finally we debate possible measures that could foment comparative studies in the future.

AVALIANDO O POTENCIAL DE FATORES CULTURAIS NA CONSTRUÇÃO DA DEMOCRACIA NA AMÉRICA LATINA: UMA COMPARAÇÃO ENTRE 2005 E 2010

No chamado processo para regimes democraticos na America Latina, embora tenha se constatado avancos importantes do ponto de vista formal-institucional, numa perspectiva mais ampla, que leve em conta conquistas sociais, o resultado tem sido modesto. Vive-se, nesta regiao, presentemente, uma assimetria entre uma legitimidade juridica concomitantemente com a ausencia de uma legitimidade social. Tal situacao exige reflexoes teoricas que vao alem da democracia minimalista e considerem a democracia como um estado social, uma etica e um modo de vida. Com base nesses aspectos, este artigo analisa a atual situacao da America Latina do ponto de vista da cultura politica existente, para, num segundo momento, propor um modelo compreensivo e empirico, com base em pesquisas de opiniao realizadas em 2005, 2009 e 2010, em tres cidades latino-americanas, enfatizando conceitos tais como: desenvolvimento sustentavel, capital social e empoderamento. Os resultados mostram que existem estoques latentes que, se ativados adequadamente, poderiam contribuir para melhorar a democracia nesta regiao.