POLÍTICA SOCIAL E CAPITAL SOCIAL NO BRASIL DURANTE O GOVERNO LULA: UMA RELAÇÃO CONTRADITÓRIA ENTRE OS SETORES POPULARES

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the Reference Center of Social Assistance - CRAS - in the induction of social capital in the population. Accordingly, a survey was conducted with users of CRAS in Caxias do Sul, 2009. The central hypothesis of this study is that users did not develop a more active political behavior by participating in the forums to the policy of assistance, either by participating in traditional political organizations like political parties and trade unions. The survey found that users are satisfied with the CRAS and social policy, but are not yet mobilized and organized politically.