Conselhos nacionais : elementos constitutivos para sua institucionalização

Since redemocratization in Brazil, forms of interaction between the state and civil society have become an integral part of the public administration structure. The literature on participatory processes has discussed the institutionalization of public participation as a key notion in such context. This work aims to contribute to current debate by both identifying aspects commonly associated with institutionalized participation and proposing a framework to analyze the institutionalization of national councils. To operationalize the analysis, we listed a number of relevant variables and attributed values to each. This method was used to classify 21 national councils and three national commissions according to their institutionalization levels. We hope the study will bring new insight to future analyses about the effects of institutionalization on national councils.