Based on a survey of 626 committee and consortium members in 18 river basins, this study evaluates the democratizing effect of stakeholder governance in water resources management in Brazil. The term democracy is examined according to three ideas: a) participatory arenas should promote political inclusion and combat elite domination; b) participation must involve a dynamic process of interaction that transforms the understandings of those who participate; c) participatory arenas should guarantee a greater control over the state by the society. The paper suggests that the committees and consortia work better as deliberative spaces. Social inequalities among members affect but do not hinder the deliberative process.
River basin organisms; Democratization; Water resources management; Brazil
