Comments: Luciane Lucas dos Santos (CES)
 

Abstract

Public sphere in contemporary democracy assumes a legitimating role regarding models of development and democracy. However, with space for dissention.  Public deliberation is presented as a new social and political paradigm that focus on positive relationship between democracy and development. The new model proposes sharing with society the responsibility of redistributing the outcomes and externalities of progress.

Insomuch, the public outcry condition becomes an important component of institutionalized deliberative processes of social participation that have come to occupy the political sphere. There is the assumption that spaces open to plural debate have the capacity to deliberate on issues of collective interest and will reflect public opinion.

On the one hand, the concept of deliberative democracy has been extended to a variety of theoretical approaches that, although of different criteria, mutually stress the need for open debate, citizen participation and the existence of public sphere. On the other hand, the prerogative offered to society which enables it with the capacity to challenge has reignited the debate of political emancipation of individuals, considering that the resolution of matters of public interest is linked to the idea of rational and critical debate in the public sphere, free from the influence of the State and Market.

It turns out that the deliberative turn in the perspective of social participation remains without fulfilling the promise to renew and deepen the authenticity of democracy. Among the major criticisms are: (a) the virtuous relationship between democracy and development demonstrates effectiveness problems (Coelho and Von Lieres, 2010; Lavalle et al., 2012; Coelho and Favareto 2012); (b) deliberative democracy “remains confined to the constitutional surface of political life” (Dryzek, 2000:167); and (c) confronted with the media, the condition of dissention and visibility regarding issues of collective interest questions the public sphere in its democratic value (Gomes, 2008).

Since the model of deliberative democracy releases the possibility of advances from the democratic debate, it is considered that the public sphere, endowed with value, range and democratic sense, and engaged in the emancipation of individuals, reflects the institutionalized practices of social participation. In this sense, challenge in the public sphere is conditioned to the quality of the communication flow between the institutionalized deliberative practices and public spheres.

Activity within the Democracy, Citizenship and Law Research Group (DECIDe)