The trajectory of Porto Alegre's: Participatory budget: Political representation and elitization

The article discusses reports research on the quality of the new participatory institutions that have emerged in recent decades in Brazil, focusing on the issue of representation within participation. Participatory Budgeting in Porto Alegre, an emblematic case of social participation, is adopted as an empirical element of analysis. After a theoretical discussion about representation, participation, and elitization, the article focuses on two seemingly paradoxical situations: the permanence of the Participatory Budget's socially inclusive character in socio-demographic terms; and recent changes in the character of the representation, which suggest a process of political elitization. Three indicators are selected to examine this hypothesis: (1) accountability in the relationship between representatives and those represented; (2) knowledge and information on the rules of participation; (3) changes in the rules of representatives' terms. The conclusion confirms the hypothesis of political elitism in the current phase of the Participative Budget.