Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: Networks and Neighborhoods in Local Politics: The Case of Brazil

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). How do adults in countries with relatively new democratic systems, such as Brazil, become civically engaged? Brazilian adults often know little about and are unengaged in politics because of high poverty and low educational levels, as well as the newness and complexity of the Brazilian political system. This leads to clientelism, meaning politicians' gifts of material resources to private citizens implicitly or explicitly in exchange for political support, and it ultimately reduces true accountability to voters. This project focuses on how social networks, and especially connections to neighborhood leaders and community groups, can convey critical political information and mobilize people who otherwise would have little interest or incentive to get involved. The researchers hypothesize that people with social networks that are more embedded in their neighborhoods tend to know more about and get more involved in local politics. At the same time, though, they should have greater access to clientelism and be less likely to hold anti-clientelistic norms. A survey of 1400 residents in 40 Brazilian neighborhoods will allow for an examination of how social network connections to fellow residents as well as activists and politicians affect what people learn and whether they choose to participate. In these neighborhoods, the project will focus on both a municipal election and a series of local government forums in which citizens are able to provide input on the municipal budget. In addition, six focus groups will explore patterns of political discussion: when people choose to discuss politics, why, and what they believe they learn from doing so. This study will have a number of social impacts. First, it will help international and domestic policy professionals understand how local civil society groups affect democratic attitudes. This information will be useful in promoting democratization. Second, the results of this research will be made available to non-academic audiences in the two case cities, where local stakeholders are interested in disseminating research on local political behavior. Third, the project will provide hands-on training in research methods to Brazilian social science students.