Collective Action in Forums of Collaborative Governance in Sabesp's Clean Stream Program, Programa Córrego Limpo, in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

"This proposal aims to discuss Elinor Ostrom's work in comparison with the Brazilian literature on social participation. For purposes of the discussion, the empirical object is forums of collaborative governance, part of the 'Clean Stream Program', Programa Córrego Limpo, a program initiated by Sabesp, the Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, with the main goal of cleaning up streams within the city. The forums were implemented in five stream areas in the city and were inspired by Ostrom's Institutional Analysis Framework - IAD, to encourage collaboration between the several actors affected and involved with these streams: the sanitation company Sabesp and the residents and leaders in these areas. The analysis of collective action between State and society, especially civil society, has been elaborated in Brazil from the analytical key of social participation. The principal variables of this literature are institutional design, civil society organization, political will and political culture. The goal of this work is to discuss the comparison possibilities among the categories of these writings with the variables that influence the action arena for Elinor Ostrom. That is, to explore the comparison of the institutional design with the rules that govern the relationships among the actors; and civil society organization, political will and culture, with the attributes of communities where the actors are located. However, Ostrom's third action arena variable, the attributes concerning the physical environment of the community where the action takes place, is not taken into consideration in the Brazilian literature and the initial analysis of the forums indicates that this variable is indeed relevant."