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2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Some local-level examples of power-sharing arrangement of decentralization in Mexico and Brazil

Research Project

Project/Area Number 16530093
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field Politics
Research InstitutionRitsumeikan University

Principal Investigator

MATSUSHITA Kiyoshi  Ritsumeikan, International Relations, Professor, 国際関係学部, 教授 (50229465)

Project Period (FY) 2004 – 2006
Keywordsdecentralization / power-sharing / participatory budget / synergistic relationship / Worker's Party (PT) / state-society relationship / mutual empowerment / Porto Alegre
Research Abstract

This report provides an analysis of power -sharing arrangement of decentralization at local-level experiences in Mexico and Brazil. The society and politics of both countries are characterized by the predominance of the state over the civil society and by huge obstacles against the construction of citizenship, the exercise of rights, and popular autonomous participation. Nevertheless, current politics in Mexico are characterized by expressions of plurality, competition, and political competition for integration of powers and representation of authorities in the three levels of government : federal, state, and municipal. This new political trend is an expression of a long process of democratization that has manifested in diverse areas while modifying the relationship between society and government. Especially, this transformation, the building of a democratic relationship between government and society, has been manifesting itself at the municipal level and through various forms of civi … More l society participation that have influenced change at the national and state levels of government.
In Brazil, the PT's support for democratic decentralization can also be located in its close association with autonomous movement. From its very birth (1980), the PT was a social movement party, having been formed as an alliance of progressive elements of the Church, unions, peasant associations, human rights groups, and an array of revolutionary organizations. Created as an instrument of struggle against an authoritarian regime and its corporatist structure, during its first decade of existence the PT constantly sought to maintain ties to a multitude of grassroots social movements and developed highly decentralized internal structures. The participatory budget of Porto Alegre enables residents of that city to participate directly in forging the city budget and thus use public resources previously diverted to patronage pay-offs to their roads and electrify their neighborhoods. In these way, the budget process discouraged long-standing traditions of clientelism and promoted what would be called 'synergistic relationship' or 'co-governance'.
The participatory budget has produced a synergy between civil associational life, government action, redistribution of basic public goods, and the exercise of formal democratic freedom and human rights both in conventional and new public domains. There has been a real redistribution of public goods, a gradual broadening and deepening of participation, improving governance on the basis of results, transparency and stable institutional arrangements. In this sense, citizenship has become more substantial. So, we could speak of the local-level example of democratic consolidation, the creation of new associational incentives and space, and the overcome of the zero-sum approaches.
I address some problems and a viewpoint on the local democracy and decentralization in the chapter 1. Next, chapter 2 examine the possibility of the state-society relationship focusing on mutual empowerment, ambivalence of localism and public space. Chapter 3 analyze the form and process of political reforms and decentralization in Mexico and Mexico City. Chapter 4 discuss mutual development between decentralization and civil society taking up El Barzon movement, NGO linkages to social movements and their networking with each other. Chapter 5 and 6 consider the questions how and to what extent did the participatory budget further the role of civil society, synergy between autonomous grassroots mobilization and associational life covering the four Worker's Party municipal administrations from 1989. Then I could conform a new 'public space' shared by the local state and grassroots organization. Less

  • Research Products

    (13 results)

All 2007 2006 2005

All Journal Article (12 results) Book (1 results)

  • [Journal Article] 脱権威主義に向かうメキシコ-「政治空間としての分権化」-2007

    • Author(s)
      松下 冽
    • Journal Title

      立命館国際研究 20巻1号(印刷中)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] 発展途上国における国家の可能性再考(下)-「国家-開発-市民社会」の新たなトライアッド関係構築の視点から-2006

    • Author(s)
      松下 冽
    • Journal Title

      立命館国際研究 19巻1号

      Pages: 135-180

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] ブラジルにおける参加・民主主義・権力-労働者党とローカル政府への参加型政策-2006

    • Author(s)
      松下 冽
    • Journal Title

      立命館国際研究 18巻3号

      Pages: 253-285

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] 発展途上国における「下からのグローバリゼーション」-インドとブラジルにおける参加と民主主義の実験-2006

    • Author(s)
      松下 冽
    • Journal Title

      長崎平和研究 21号

      Pages: 107-120

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] A Reconsideration on the Possibilities of States in the Developing Countries (3)2006

    • Author(s)
      Matsushita Kiyoshi
    • Journal Title

      The Ritsumeikan Journal of International Studies Vol.19,No.1

      Pages: 135-180

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] The Presence and Possibility in the Developing Countries"2006

    • Author(s)
      Matsushita Kiyoshi
    • Journal Title

      The Presence of Developing Societies-State・Development・Civil Society- (HOTITSU BUNKA SHA)

      Pages: 1-31

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] The People's Globalization Movement in the Developing Countries-Experiments of Engagement and Democracy in India and Brazil-2006

    • Author(s)
      Matsushita Kiyoshi
    • Journal Title

      Nagasaki Peace Studies No.21

      Pages: 107-120

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Participation, democracy, and power in Brazil under the Worker's Party local governments program2006

    • Author(s)
      Matsushita Kiyoshi
    • Journal Title

      The Ritsumeikan Journal of International Studies Vol.18,No.3

      Pages: 253-285

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] 発展途上国における国家の可能性再考(上)-「国家-開発-市民社会」の新たなトライアッド関係構築の視点から-2005

    • Author(s)
      松下 冽
    • Journal Title

      立命館国際研究 17巻3号

      Pages: 35-67

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] 発展途上国における国家の可能性再考(中)-「国家-開発-市民社会」の新たなトライアッド関係構築の視点から-2005

    • Author(s)
      松下 冽
    • Journal Title

      立命館国際研究 18巻2号

      Pages: 93-122

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] A Reconsideration on the Possibilities of States in the Developing Countries (1)2005

    • Author(s)
      Matsushita Kiyoshi
    • Journal Title

      The Ritsumeikan Journal of International Studies Vol.17,No.3

      Pages: 35-67

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] A Reconsideration on the Possibilities of States in the Developing Countries (2)2005

    • Author(s)
      Matsushita Kiyoshi
    • Journal Title

      The Ritsumeikan Journal of International Studies Vol.18,No.2

      Pages: 93-122

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Book] 途上国社会の現在-国家・開発・市民社会-2006

    • Author(s)
      松下 冽(編著)
    • Total Pages
      283
    • Publisher
      法律文化社
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より

URL: 

Published: 2008-05-27  

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