A participação da sociedade civil nos conselhos de saúde e de políticas sociais no município de Piraí, RJ (2006)

Abstract

Social policy councils began to be set up in municipalities in Brazil in the 1990s, first in the health care sector, then spreading to other sectors, for the purpose of including civil society in municipal policy management. Among the advances, studies revealed the formation of a network of government and non-government actors for the resolution of problems in the sector. Among the challenges, there was the limitation of the participation of government programs to acritical approval. This paper addresses the participation of councilors and representatives of civil society in the Health Council as being included in a network that includes councils and civil society organizations in a small municipality. Based on semistructured interviews with councilors representing civil society, two dimensions of participation are analyzed. The first is the relationship between demand for participation generated by the simultaneous activity of various sectorial councils and the participatory basis existing in the city. The second is the relationship between the issues that the respondents identified and their role as councilors. Lastly, the article discusses the potential of municipal councils in contributing to an intersectorial management of the city's problems.