Between councils and conferences: deliberative arenas on human rights in Minas Gerais

Entre conselhos e conferências: as arenas deliberativas sobre direitos humanos em Minas Gerais

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

The academic literature on deliberative systems suggests exploring the connections between deliberative forums and other components of the political system and society. This article investigates the participation of governmental actors and civil society in councils and conferences addressing public policies on human rights in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The objectives are twofold: to propose a theoretical framework for examining deliberative subsystems and to identify the connectors in a multilevel network consisting of human rights councils and conferences.

Materials and methods:

We adopted a methodology centered on subsystem theory, prioritizing the dynamics of deliberation arenas and the synergy between councils at local and state levels. We reinterpreted the concept of subsystem to develop an empirical model that incorporates its thematic dimension. To examine the interconnections between councils and conferences, we employed an analytical approach known as two mode network analysis, also referred to as affiliation network analysis, situated in the domain of Social Network Analysis.

Results:

Our findings suggest a high level of integration within the subsystem. In contrast to prior studies, we found that civil society actors, alongside governmental agents, significantly contribute to interconnecting various arenas within the subsystem. This finding underlines the functional specialization of liaison agents within the context of the deliberation system.

Discussion:

Our findings offer a twofold contribution to the existing literature. Firstly, we present an innovative theoretical model for analyzing deliberative systems. Secondly, we recommend the use of multilevel network analysis as a robust tool for identifying connections between multiple arenas.

Keywords
human rights; public policies; civil society; deliberative councils and conferences; Social Network Analysis