A Democracia Participativa No Olhar Populista

Abstract

The category of populism is revisited, allowing us to rethink the fundamentalsof democracy, as defined by the theory of democracy, and the parameters foranalysing the potential of participatory democracy. By highlighting the role ofleaderships in the formation of the identity of “the people”, which expresses thecomplexity of unsatisfied social demands, we critically inquire into the elitistaspect of representative democracy. In this context, strengthening thedemocratic ideal ought to affect the current model of citizen representation andof reception-fulfilment of social demands. This article proposes a criticalanalysis of the direct citizen participation programs, such as the Participatory Budgets, from an up-to-date debate on the category of populism.