Public participation and regulatory public policies: An assessment from the perspective of douglasian cultural theory

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to evaluate how public consultation encourages participation from different points of view and if there is a real transfer of power to the society in policy-making. Public participation is a means of inclusion that allows decision-makers to know the real needs of society, and it promotes the elaboration of public policies, leading to greater acceptance. Public participation must be encouraged and the opinions of various groups in the society must be considered. This paper adopted the perspective of Douglasian Cultural Theory to investigate the contribution of public consultations in the formulation of regulatory policies for the food sector in Brazil. The results of this research indicate that public participation remains restricted to some groups in society and that the public authority should dedicate more efforts to offer mechanisms that foster more plural and diversified public participation.