Based on studies analyzing social participation effectiveness into public policy formulation, this article presents a case of success in which part of the demands from social movements were adopted as a government policy. In order to analyze the “Young Persons Living Plan” – a policy focusing on the high levels of homicide among young black people in Brazil and on institutional racism – this study adopts an analytical strategy which combines theories of social movement and participation with public policy theories. The historical construction of this issue by social movement activists and also the support received by other political actors reveals how the issue of homicide among black youths became a priority agenda in participatory forums. Subsequently, the article shows the moment where a political window is opened which produced an opportunity for activists inside the state bureaucracy to explore the entering of the issue into the government agenda. Finally, the analysis of the institutional configuration of the decision-making arena within the government apparatus and of the political actors involved in the process explains the final public policy adopted and its substantive content. The contribution of the adopted institutionalist perspective to explain effectiveness is considered to be a useful finding for the research agenda on participation and public policies.
Social movements; Social participation effectiveness; Decision-making arenas; Young Persons Living Plan Brazil; Multiple streams model