Abstract:
The article analyses the Social Observatory (SO) as a new space for civil society and government dialogues and influence on public policy. Specifically, the article examines the extent to which SO is a space for a constructive dialogue to implement and to manage public policy for urban mobility at municipal level. It deals with the case of SO of Belém municipality, Pará State. Belém is the second largest municipality in the Brazilian Amazon region in terms of population. Methodologically, the research was based on case study using documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with four members of the SO of Belém for data gathering. The paper shows that SO may constitute a significant participative arena which brings civil society and local government to take collective decision-making based on dialogue and transparency of information. However, since it is a new organizational pattern, SO still have many difficulties and challenges, whether of internal character, whether in its relation to other public, private and civil society actors.
Keywords:
Social Observatory; urban mobility; social participation