Brazilian redemocratization has profoundly transformed the relations between State and society and the marriage between democracy and representation. The changes were not restricted to electoral and state representation, but reached civil society's spheres of action. The direct incorporation of citizens into policymaking processes is one of the most significant innovations of democratization in Brazil. This article argues that the new institutional architecture that expands the connections between State and society inaugurates a new moment of political representation in the country. Here, social actors represent along with government agents the interests of society in relation to certain types of public policy, without being incorporated by the state, and vice versa. In order to understand the democratizing potentials of these transformations, this paper proposes, based on international debates, a reinterpretation of the concept of political representation, as well as its criteria of legitimacy, namely, accountability and responsiveness. In addition, the paper highlights the specificities of representation in Brazilian participatory institutions. It argues that its institutional placement and intersection with state and societal arenas are characteristics that influence the practice of accountability and responsiveness.
representation; democracy; legitimacy; participatory institutions
