The International Meeting on Participation, Democracy, and Public Policies (PDPP), established in 2013, brings together researchers focused on diverse forms of political participation – such as associativism, protests, social movements, extraparliamentary institutional channels, and electoral avenues – and their links to public policies and the strengthening of democracy. Created as a forum to promote national dialogue among researchers and research networks dedicated to these themes, the PDPP aims to broaden and consolidate this field in Brazil. Previously, registered academic events were organized along disciplinary lines rather than thematic ones, limiting opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and integration across different fields of knowledge. Today, PDPP’s goals include engaging a wide range of researchers and research centers across Brazil in cutting-edge debates, advancing the interdisciplinary field of participation studies by gathering nationally and internationally recognized experts for theoretical and methodological discussions, and creating a space for dialogue among researchers, civil society members, and government agents, all aligned with INCT Participa’s objectives and goals.
The PDPP is held biennially in different regions across the country, consistently supporting academic efforts to consolidate the field of political participation studies.
The network of researchers who originally conceived and have continuously promoted the PDPP over the years includes members from the founding centers that developed the INCT Participa project. Some of INCT’s institutional commitments are well-supported by the framework provided by the PDPP Meetings.
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THE 2025 MEETING
The 6th International Meeting on Participation, Democracy, and Public Policies (PDPP) will be held from May 6 to 9, 2025, at the Universidade de Brasília (UnB – Brasília, DF). The event will once again be held in person, offering valuable opportunities for researchers, activists, and public administrators to share knowledge and experiences.
The Meeting will include 12 thematic seminars that will discuss issues that reflect the growing diversity and innovation in research on participation, democracy, and public policies. Themes will include environmental disaster management, rural conflicts, digital activism, innovations in participatory practices, and feminisms. In addition to these seminars, the event will feature round tables, book launches, forums, and courses.
This edition of the PDPP is organized by Resocie (UnB), a member of INCT Participa and affiliated with the Institute of Politics at the Universidade de Brasília (IPOL-UnB). The event, organized by Síntese Eventos, will incorporate activities aligned with INCT Participa’s research focus and its extension, science dissemination, and training activities
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5th PDPP – 2022 (UFRN – online)
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 5th International Meeting on Participation, Democracy, and Public Policies (PDPP), originally scheduled for 2021, was held remotely from April 26 to 29, 2022, hosted online by the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN - Natal).
By its fifth edition, the Meeting was already recognized as a prestigious event in the field of political participation studies, bringing together a diverse group of researchers and social and political actors to engage in in-depth discussions on democracy, participation, and public policies. The event included 20 thematic seminars covering topics like social activism during the pandemic, right-wing activism, social movements and science, scientific denialism, intersectionality and participation, digital innovations in participation, corruption, and research methodologies on participation.
Round table discussions highlighted the pandemic’s impact on participation and activism, focusing on challenges related to the dismantling of policy management councils and the difficulties faced by public administrators and activists in accessing data. The event closed with a round table on intersectionality and political participation, followed by an evaluation session, as usual.
Organized with support from UFRN’s Distance Education Secretariat and the Universidade Federal da Paraíba, the event was coordinated by Síntese Eventos.
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IV PDPP – 2019 (UFRGS, Porto Alegre/RS)
The 4th International Meeting on Participation, Democracy, and Public Policies (PDPP) was held from September 10 to 13, 2019, at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) in Porto Alegre. This edition brought together national and international researchers and activists, creating a vibrant exchange of experiences and knowledge aligned with the organizers’ objectives.
Round table discussions addressed democratic backsliding in Latin America and the challenges facing political participation at the local level. One session offered a comparative analysis of political participation involving Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. The final round table created a space to discuss repression and forms of social resistance in Latin America, bringing together researchers and activists. As with previous editions, the event concluded with a review session of the Meeting. The thematic seminars covered a broad range of topics, including inequalities and intersectionality, the internet and politics, and rural social movements.
This fourth edition of the Meeting was organized by the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences at UFRGS (IFCH-UFRGS) and the Graduate Program in Social Sciences at UFRGS, with sponsorship from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS). Event management was provided by Síntese Eventos.
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3rd PDPP – 2017 (UFES – Vitória/ES)
The 3rd International Meeting on Participation, Democracy, and Public Policies (PDPP) was held from May 30 to June 2, 2017, at the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) in Vitória. By its third edition, the Meeting had established itself as an international forum for debate among researchers and activists, strengthening connections among research groups and networks in the field. The event stimulated innovative approaches in methodology, theory, and activism in the field of political participation and democracy.
Round table discussions tackled key issues in the Brazilian political context following President Dilma Rousseff’s removal from office, examined the shifting dynamics of democracies in Latin America, and included a special session on environmental disasters and the political struggles surrounding climate change.
Organized by UFES and the Núcleo de Participação e Democracia (NUPAD), the event was supported by Síntese Eventos and sponsored by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior(CAPES), the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), and the Coordenação Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).
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2nd PDPP - 2015 (UNICAMP – Campinas/SP)
The 2nd International Meeting on Participation, Democracy, and Public Policies (PDPP) was held from April 27 to 30, 2015, at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP/IFCH) in Campinas, SP
Building on the 2013 Meeting at UNESP in Araraquara, this second edition included round tables and discussions on topics such as democratic theory, research methodologies, political reform, the political landscape in Latin America, mobilizations, and social movements. The Meeting featured 10 thematic seminars and a book fair, with round tables exploring new democratic practices in participatory democracy, political reform, and democratic control, as well as the popular mobilizations of the time. The Meeting also showcased experiences of democratic participation from other countries and included a methodological analysis of the strengths and limitations of the relational approach and its empirical applications.
In its second edition, the PDPP established itself as a vital forum for researchers and activists dedicated to advancing and enhancing the quality of democracy in Brazil and globally.
The event was held in partnership with the Núcleo de Pesquisas em Participação, Movimentos Sociais e Ação Coletiva (NEPAC) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, sponsored by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), and organized by Síntese Eventos.
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1st PDPP - 2013 (UNESP – Araraquara/SP)
The 1st International Meeting on Participation, Democracy, and Public Policies (PDPP), titled “Bridging Agendas and Agents”, was held from April 23 to 25, 2013, at the School of Sciences and Letters of the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP-FCLAr), in Araraquara, SP. Organized by the Grupo de Pesquisa Participação, Democracia e Políticas Públicas, which shares its name with the Meeting and includes faculty members and researchers from the departments of social sciences and public administration, the event featured 16 thematic seminars that explored the diversity of studies on political participation and their implications for strengthening democracy and tackling its challenges. Round table discussions included debates on theory, methodology, and social movements. This inaugural edition of the Meeting laid the groundwork for a collaborative national network of researchers in the field of political participation, bringing together a variety of perspectives and methodological approaches. The event was enabled by a communication network among researchers, developed over years of collective reflection at academic events hosted by scholarly and professional associations.
