Sector Councils: councilors' profile and it's influence in decision making

Abstract

This article aims to present a profile of councilors that take part in four sector councils of the municipality of Santo André, in order to understand how factors such as age, education and gender, among others, can positively or negatively influence the council's representativeness. For this, we conducted interviews and analyzed internal documents and records of meetings when available. Results show that, although there are educational differences among representatives of civil society and public authorities which could reflect an unequal correlation of forces within the councils, representatives of civil society have strong leadership, which facilitates the exchange of information with society.. Then, we conclude that, in order to become a more balanced participation channel, it is necessary to ensure effective training and representativeness; it is necessary also tostimulate the participation of youth.