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This book develops a critical analysis of the Brazilian legislature, specifically the role of its lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies, in policy making and how this combines with its public engagement role, namely in terms of promoting participation and transparency. The book draws from Nelson Polsby's theoretical conceptualization about transformative and arena legislatures. The purpose is not to reach a consensus about the exact categorisation of the legislature in Polsby's classification. On the contrary, the chapters are mainly concerned in challenging this classification through interdisciplinary perspectives drawn from within the legislative studies in Brazil.
The book's first chapters introduce the reader to an historical overview of the Brazilian legislature's policy making and organization, identifying its role in proposing public policies and scrutinising proposals from the Executive Branch. The subsequent chapters focus on its public engagement role and address contemporary elements - such as political participation and transparency - and how these interlink, or not, with legislative practices and influence the production of law. The book provides a unique insight into the operation and power of the legislature of a key global power, Brazil, in a presidential political system context. The chapters originally published as a special issue in the Journal of Legislative Studies.
List of contents
Introduction Cristiane Brum Bernardes, Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Ricardo de João Braga 1. The institutionalisation of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies Ricardo de João Braga, André Rehbein Sathler and Roberto Campos da Rocha Miranda 2. The legislative and public policies in Brazil: before and after the 1988 Constitution Julio Roberto de Souza Pinto 3. The role of the Brazilian Congress in defining public social policies Fábio de Barros Correia Gomes and Ricardo Chaves de Rezende Martins 4. Green or grey: origin, bias and fate of environmental bills in the Brazilian National Congress Maurício Schneider and Ana Alice Biedzicki de Marques 5. Brazilian Parliament and digital engagement Antonio Teixeira de Barros, Cristiane Brum Bernardes and Malena Rehbein 6. Open parliament policy applied to the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies Cristiano Faria and Malena Rehbein Conclusion Cristiane Brum Bernardes, Cristina Leston-Bandeira and Ricardo de João Braga
About the author
Cristiane Brum Bernardes gained her PhD in Political Science (2010) at the Institute of Social and Political Studies (IESP), University of State of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Brazil. She also has a Master's in Communication and Information from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) (2004). Cristiane is Senior Lecturer at Master in Legislative Affairs of Brazilian Chamber of Deputies.
Cristina Leston-Bandeira is Professor of Politics, University of Leeds, UK. She is also co-convenor of the Parliaments and Legislatures Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association and editor of Parliaments and Citizens (Routledge, 2013).
Ricardo de João Braga gained his PhD in Political Science (2011) from the University of State of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Brazil. He is Senior Lecturer at Master in Legislative Affairs of Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. Previously, he worked for party leaderships in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies and for the Executive Branch.
Summary
The book explains and analyses the complexity of the legislative activities performed by the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, and how these are framed within the legislature’s internal organization’s structure. The chapters originally published as a special issue in the Journal of Legislative Studies.
