Obstacles and demands to regional governance

Abstract

The paper analyses democracy within regional governance institutions’ management. Three Development Forums acting in the South of Brazil were studied in a comparative way, by analysing their documents and working dynamics and also by crossing their deliberations with the allocation of financial resources and by making interviews with the leaders. It was verified that Forums amplify the articulations between the actors and the mobilization of economics regional resources and actives, yet they act selectively, generating an oligarchy that benefits specific organizational nets. Thus, the government’s organs that allocate resources also define directives and management methodologies and the target groups of the policies or resources. Forums create filters that select programs and projects, but without planning regional development in a strategic way. To accomplish their goals, it is necessary an adequate institutionalization, with a symmetry in the representation of interests and in the negotiation of decision-making processes and also an enhanced autonomy from governments.