1. Political Participation & Local Government (Pl.Sc. 422) Fiscal Choice and Expressing “Voice”

2. Waves of Democracy & Reverse Waves of Authoritarianism First long wave 1828 – 1926 First reverse wave 1922 – 1944 Second short wave 1943-1964 Second reverse wave 1962-1975

3. In Latin America What difference has “Third Wave Democracy Made for how local governments function? Historic Lima

4. Third Wave Democracy Begins Local elections return More government offices fill by elections Legacy for local government from decades of central control Aloof Opaque Closed to citizen input

5. Political Participation Quickly became chief propellant for the “quiet revolution,” but existed previously Loud course of citizen demands traditionally targetd specific and highly visual issues Street demonstrations Union movements Organized neighborhood groups After decentralization, participation became part of the steering mechanism in many local governments

6. Voices from Below Action From Below: tapping into grassroots opinion Typically practiced by local authorities by visiting local groups Inviting them to city hall Town meetings Citizen pannels Polling

7. Voices from Below Action From Below: mobilizing grassroots groups Participatory budgeting Porto Alegre (Brazil) model Residents incorporated into decisions about capital investment in their city Participation: local implementation/execution Comites de solidaridad (Mexico- supervising specific projects)) Comites de vigilencia (watchdog groups –Bolivia) Parroquias in Venezuela

8. Voices from Below Action From Below: beneficiary contributions Counterpart contributions (targeted on neighborhood improvement projects) Targeted tax increases Condominial operation of public services (sewage systems in Brazil)

9. Voices from Below Action From Below: citizen-initiated contact Municipal associations rank/rate municipal governments Office at which citizens can communicate complaints directly to elected officials Ombudsman office None of these contact points existed prior to the “quiet revolution”

10. Voices from Below Action From Below: electoral and voting systems Ballot box to change unresponsive local governments Ballot box to gain support for borrowing and spending Separation of local and non-local elections

11. Voices from Below Action From Below: legal and judicial system Participation through legal and judicial actions in its infancy Impeachment – rare but some evidence it is now viewed as an option To be effective requires a complex infrastructure of law, case histories, local courts & professional expertise Generally absent in Latin America

12. To Summarize: Common Denominator of post- decentralization Participation Officials at many levels of government believed that their interest lay in: tapping into grass roots groups Mobilizing new ones Goal: expand role of citizen participation in local government

13. Additional Points: Participation in US vs. Latin America National, not local capture has long been important in Latin America Unclear the extent that municipal orientation has been consolidated Participatory experience during “Quiet Revolution demonstrate what is possible under new “rules of the game” Continuing outside engagement may be necessary prevent backsliding

14. Final Critical Lesson Power sharing and participation mean that traditional measure of local government performance – where local goods and services are delivered efficiently – is not enough For strong and vigorous local government to be institutionalized Local governments must become mechanisms of accountability