Alternative forms of political participation or normative naturalization? Political culture and social capital in Brazil

Abstract

This main objective of this paper is to examine the theoretical limitations of approaches that utilize institutional engineering, which is the main determinant of political democratic stability in Brazil. Based on the assumption that the effective governance in the country requires a normative base of support for democratic principles, it emphasizes the significance of analyzing how the process of constructing a democratic political culture occurs. Also, the concept of social capital is proposed as a citizens’ empowerment mechanism, which, in a synergic sense, could contribute to the dynamization of the social development of the country. The empirical base of this paper arises from research surveys conducted in the last twenty years in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Key-words: democracy, political culture, social capital, synergy