IMPLEMENTANDO A PARTICIPAÇÃO PÚBLICA NO BRASIL: Sociologia de atores secundários

As instituicoes participativas brasileiras foram analisadas por uma densa literatura que estudou os projetos subjacentes a essas mesmas instituicoes, o engajamento dos cidadaos e os efeitos variaveis da participacao sobre o campo politico. Porem, a literatura pouco questionou o papel dos profissionais da participacao, ou seja a atuacao dos atores especificos que sao pagos para conceber, organizar e facilitar as instituicoes participativas. Este artigo, baseado numa metodologia qualitativa, propoe uma tipologia dos organizadores das instituicoes participativas no Brasil. A hipotese desenvolvida e que esses atores tem um papel fundamental na delimitacao do que significa participar e dos publicos legitimos nas instituicoes participativas. Ao privilegiar certos perfis de cidadaos, algumas ferramentas ou alguns comportamentos sobre outros, estes atores podem dar as instituicoes participativas um escopo transformador ou pelo contrario, defini-los como uma simples consulta dos cidadaos. IMPLEMENTING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN BRAZIL: Sociology of secondary actors Participatory devices in Brazil have been analyzed in a dense literature examining the ambivalent projects pursued through citizen participation, the involvement of citizens in these projects and their varying effects on public policy or the political sphere. What is lacking is an in-depth analysis of the role of public participation professionals (PPPs) in Brazil, namely, the specific actors who are paid to design, implement or facilitate participatory forums. This article uses a qualitative methodology to develop a typology of organizers of some Brazilian participatory mechanisms, by studying their trajectory and conceptions of participation they support. Its aim is to show that these actors are central in defining how citizens should participate and who is part of the legitimate audience. Therefore, PPPs play a major role in reinforcing the transformative scope of a device or, on the contrary, in limiting it to a simple consultation of citizens, through the audience rallied, the tool(s) they choose or the meaning they give to participation. Keywords: Public participation professional. Participatory democracy. Professionalization. Brazil. Typology. Comparative analysis. METTRE EN ŒUVRE LA PARTICIPATION PUBLIQUE AU BRESIL: Sociologie d’acteurs secondaires Les dispositifs participatifs bresiliens ont ete analyses par une vaste litterature qui a mis en evidence la diversite des projets poursuivis, les motifs de l’engagement des citoyens et les effets de la participation sur le champ politique. Toutefois, peu de travaux interrogent le role joue par les professionnels de la participation, c’est-a-dire les d’acteurs qui definissent, mettent en œuvre et facilitent les assemblees participatives. Cet article presente une typologie des organisateurs de la democratie participative au Bresil, en se fondant sur une methodologie qualitative. Il montre que ces acteurs secondaires qui traduisent et mettent en œuvre les projets definis par les elus jouent un role de premier plan dans la delimitation de ce que participer veut dire et des publics legitimes. En privilegiant certains comportements, certains outils ou certains acteurs, ces professionnels peuvent renforcer la portee transformatrice des dispositifs participatifs ou au contraire, les restreindre a de simples outils de communication institutionnels. Mots-cles: Democratie participative.Professionnalisation. Bresil. Analyse comparative.