This paper deals with the social participation at participatory institutions, focusing on the Council of Cities (ConCidades) which was created in 2004 in the federal level in Brazil. The goal of the paper is to analyze the Council's institutional design, its potentials, limits and reach concerning advances in public policy, considering 2004-2010.One posts the question if the different elements of ConCidades' participatory design favor the realization of potentials of inclusion and democratization of public policy, or not. The research was undertaken between 2010 and 2011 and theoretically based on sources in the field of participatory democracy on participatory institutions, its potentials and variation elements. Highlighting that participation is dependent upon contextual factors, its trajectory, civil society's profile, the government's commitment institutional designs, one focuses here on the design of participatory councils. The analytical model based on Fung (2004,2006) is structured in three axes: participants; forms of decision-making; and binding decisions to the policy. The methodology employed qualitative and quantitative resources, conducting documentary collection concerning the Ministry of Cities and urban policies in the period (2004-2010). The minutes of the Conferences of Cities and of the other meetings of ConCidades were systematized and analyzed. The research indicates ConCidades' democratic potential and potential of engendering advances in urban policies and their legal frameworks, with variations along its trajectory. Regarding the design, both composition and form of choice of representatives, among other factors, encourage political inclusiveness and participation. Also some limitations become evident, especially the Council's advisory status in relation to policy decisions, which has been questioned. Beyond the participatory design, institutional changes in the Ministry and processes of participation in civil society have affected the practices within this participatory institution and its outcomes. The action of the collective actors that comprise the National Forum of Urban Reform affected the urban policy through various processes and action repertories. From a more general perspective, the present research lies in the debates about participatory institutions - especially councils and institutional design as an element that can favor or discourage both the deliberative participation and its effects on policy. Specifically, this paper helps the debate on such issues by focusing on a recent, relatively little discussed - and yet to be improved - experience of participation in federal urban policies.
democracy; social participation; participatory instutional design; Council of the Cities; urban policys
