The Sociopolitical Context of Participatory Development in Northeastern Brazil

"Participation" and "participatory development" have become mantras in contemporary development discourse. But certain cultural settings are better suited to local participation and collective action than others. Participation works best when it is based in, rather than in opposition to, existing organizations. In northeastern Brazil, regional tradition and existing social, economic, and political structures pose strong challenges to horizontal social organization and thus to popular mobilization and participatory development. Although certain democratizing trends have weakened traditional authorities, prior organization still poses challenges, which must be recognized and systematically addressed in policy planning and in project design and implementation.