The article examines the strategic action of a collective actor, the policy community that advocates for social assistance as a right of citizens, which resulted not only in the creation of the Brazilian Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS - Sistema Único de Saúde)), but also got to redefine the functions of the National Council of Social Assistance (CNAS), by the end of 2000. Members of this community took successive windows of opportunity to present to policy makers proposals for tackling problems of extreme social inequality and poverty, which were central to the political and governmental agenda as of Lula Government started in 2002. One of these windows of opportunity opened up withOperação Fariseu in 2008, which exposed the existence of illicit relations between council's board members and organizations that acquired certification as welfare charities, thus receiving significant tax exemptions. The policy community succeeded in revoking the Council's prerogative to certify and control the activities of 'charities', transferring it to governmental departments in the areas of welfare, health and education. Thus, CNAS, a neo-corporative intermediary organization created by the Organic Law of Social Assistance, consolidated its role as mediator of interests between societal and state actors aiming to facilitate the implementation of the national policies that resulted in the structuring of SUAS.
Political Sociology; Political community; Social assistance
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