Since the 1980s, feminist movements in Brazil have grown increasingly stronger, gaining an unprecedented public voice in society and a greater presence in institutions. Beginning in the 2000s, the PT governments helped institutionalize gender demands but also revealed the limits to advancing some key feminist agendas, which became more diverse over time. In response to these gains, forces pushing a “neoconservative” agenda have gained prominence in Brazil in recent years. Throughout this process, the parliament has become a strategic arena for feminist fights. This study seeks to explore how this context has affected the relationships between feminist activisms, political parties, and the political representation of women in Brazil.

Participants (Center)

UEM: Carla Almeida, Gabriela Barczysczyn, Maithê Potrich, Rafael da Silva

The topic of social participation has entered the agenda of the 3rd Lula government with new objectives and challenges, informed by assessments of the limitations of past participatory experiences focused on policy councils and conferences, as well as the new landscape of competing political forces in society, marked by the growing strength of the far-right in Brazil. The study seeks to answer the following questions: how do changes in the political context affect the repertoires of socio-state interaction that policy community actors use to defend and represent their interests? How are socio-state interactions and the institutional framework supporting them affected by the use of digital tools? In what ways do the roles and dynamics of participatory institutions change in this new political landscape? And what insights can this study offer to the broader discussion on the relationships between the crisis of democracies, participation, and public policies?

Participants (Center)

GEPPADE/UNESP: Alexandre José Romagnoli, Carla Gandini Giani Martelli, Inácio de Paula e Silva, Juan Felipe do Prado Alves, Larissa Maria do Nascimento, Laura Moyano Malara, Maria Eduarda Cortez.
SociDem/UEM: Ana Laura da Rocha, Carla Almeida, Leonardo Augusto Lucena Ribeiro, Luana Machado Alves, Luana do Rocio Taborda, Milena Cristina Belançon, Rafael Cardoso Sampaio, Rafael da Silva, Victor Gabriel Menegassi, Carla Bernava.

Under the framework of the 1988 Constitution, the Brazilian state established participation as a central pillar in the formulation and implementation of public policies. This achievement resulted from extensive social mobilization by civil society organizations, social movements, and political parties. However, participation practices and mechanisms in public policies in Brazil have evolved differently depending on the specific sector considered. Building on the concept of “state capacities for democracy”, the study seeks to comparatively analyze different policy sectors, taking into account the political-institutional conditions that can either facilitate or hinder popular participation, as well as the conditions available to competing socio-political actors to exert influence

Participants (Center)

NEPAC/UNICAMP: Janaína Catozzi Ramasco, Mariana Conti, Silvana Marcondes de Salles, Wagner de Melo Romão

This proposal aims to analyze the implementation of a digital commons in Brazil, focusing on the empowerment of historically excluded groups. In 2023, the Brazilian federal government and civil society organizations began rebuilding participatory arenas that had been dismantled during Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right presidency. In this context, a new digital platform for citizen participation, inspired by the Decidim experience, was launched. We are particularly interested in understanding whether and how historically excluded actors – such as women, Black individuals, and Indigenous peoples – are participating in this digital common, both in its governance and political decision-making. Our multidisciplinary team from academia and civil society brings expertise in social movements, state-society relations, digital commons, and digital participatory arenas. Outputs will include academic analyses for expert communities as well as materials and ideas co-created with civil society organizations and software developers, along with the establishment of sustainable channels for ongoing discussions on the functioning of digital commons.

Participants (Center)

RESOCIE/UNB: Débora Rezende de Almeida, Anne Karoline Rodrigues Vieira, Lorena Vilarins dos Santos, Rebecca Neaera Abers, Marisa von Bülow.

This research proposal aims to analyze the impact of an external event – the political regime change marked by Bolsonaro’s rise to power and the shift to the right – on the political dynamics of policy councils at both national and subnational levels, focusing on the actions of this right-wing conservative coalition within these councils.

Participants (Center)

NUPAD/UFES: Luciana Andressa Martins de Souza

The study aims to understand how Brazil’s de-democratization process, driven by the rise of the far right between 2016 and 2022, has affected civil society activism and public policies in cases related to feminist, racial equality, and LGBTQIA+ movements.

Participants (Center)

NUPAD/UFES: Euzeneia Carlos, Danielly Vila Real, Carolliny Rubim Scardua, Ana Loures, Mirna Santiago Sabatini, Erika Ronqueti Terra Silva, Mirela Marin Morgante, Marcelo de Souza Marques

This study focuses on forms of social participation in health, with particular emphasis on municipal health councils. It aims to map and characterize models of action in formal social control spaces, identify innovative practices, and assess the challenges and opportunities for strengthening social participation in health. The methodology includes a literature review, multiple case studies of Brazilian councils, comparative mapping of experiences, questionnaires, field research with interviews, and focus groups. Expected outcomes include developing a typology of participatory models, identifying best practices, and offering recommendations for public policies and for evaluating the effectiveness of social participation in these spaces. The study aims to contribute to improving health policies and strengthening participatory governance.

Participants (Center)

GPACE/UFRGS: Frederico Viana Machado; Victória Figueiredo Ribeiro; Janaina Barbosa; Vitória Davila Pedroso; Thayla Correa; Renata Laranja; Rafaella Codeim Dresch

This project was developed by the Center for Studies on State–Society Relations and Public Policies (NESPP-UFPB) and integrates research and extension activities, with the aim of building a Participation Observatory. The project comprises two lines of work: the first focuses on mapping and analyzing the functioning and decision-making outputs of national councils, while the second focuses on state councils and municipal councils in state capitals in Brazil’s Northeast region. The objective is to produce up-to-date diagnoses of the functioning and effectiveness of these Participatory Institutions. To this end, the project involves the collection, organization, systematization, and analysis of data on the structure and operation of the councils. The database generated through this initiative will feed into a repository currently under development, to be made publicly available by the Participa Observatory, a project of INCT Participa to which it is linked, with the aim of contributing to researchers and actors directly involved in participatory experiences in the region, whether from government or civil society.

Participants (Center)

NESPP/UFPB: Lizandra Serafim (coordinator), Marcelo Burgos Pimentel dos Santos, Carlos Eduardo de Lima Correia, Ingrid Raissa Guerra Lins, Jackson Macedo