Beyond Polyarchy? Debates on Participatory Governance in Latin America

ENRIQUE PERUZZOTTI

Pittsburgh

Workshop; Workshop on Democratic Governance; 2011

University of Pittsburgh

The goal of the article is to review recent developments on participatory governance in Latin America and the debates they have generated within the field of democratic studies. Section I briefly presents the central tenant of debates on democratic deepening in the region, particularly, the rich discussion that emerged on the question of democratic accountability. Section II focuses on the contribution of social participation to the agenda of legal accountability. Section III analyzes the introduction of institutionalized arenas and the debate that followed over whether the former serve as a suitable complement to electoral mechanisms. Section IV discusses some of the problems posed by recent processes of institutional innovation, wondering to what extent successful cases of institutionalized participation can be replicated beyond their original environment. Lastly, section V presents a short overview of the nature and scope of participatory innovation in the region.