Representation within participative experiences

Abstract

The contemporayy debate on democracy challenges the development of studies and reflections about the links between participation and representation in the field of participative practices and experiences. Taking into account that generally participation occurs through representation, this article aims at analyzing some Brazilian participative experiences (decision-making councils and participatory budgeting), the phenomenon of representation within the process of participation (or within the participative and representative practices). Based on the supposition that the theoretical reflections about these two forms of political action - participation and representation - have been dominated by a dualist approach, related to different theoretical models of democracy, this article, analyzes some factors which may contribute to that dualism.