Associativismo, participação e representação política no Espírito Santo

Abstract

This paper researches associativism as an instrument of political participation and representation in Brazil, especially before the 1988 Constitution, with associativism as the possibility of groups of people defending specific interests with the institutional political power through a constituted juridical person. The empirical research included a survey of secondary information on associativism in Brazil, as well as three associations in the Brazil’s state Espírito Santo were studied through in-depth individual interviews. The conclusions indicate that the associativism on the one hand presents a heterogeneous character in its formation and performance, acting institutionally in a disconnected and uncoordinated way. On the other hand, it has strengthened with the country’s redemocratization, multiplies itself in the form of social demands and acts to combat the problems of the functioning of the instituted powers, in tune with the complexity of the current society.