Resumo

DOMBROWSKI, Osmir. Entre o poder local e a elite central: Un ensaio sobre a participaçao política no Brasil. Cuad. urbano [online]. 2011, vol.11, n.11, pp.177-190. ISSN 1853-3655.

This essay seeks to understand the absenteeism verified in local participatory institutions in Brazil, without resorting to moral judgments that condemn the behavior of the population. The hypothesis that guides this work calls into question the degree of effectiveness of these institutions, as well as the autonomy of the municipalities in the national federative arrangement and suggests that the participatory instances occupy a narrow margin left by the central government to be held next to local power, suggesting that the dynamics of the struggle for their occupation has great explanatory power on the absenteeism of the popular sectors.

Palavras-chave : Participation; Absenteeism; Local Power; Municipality.