Interfaces of Social Participation in San Andrés Paxtlán

Abstract

Social participation (SP) is a priority for the development of local governments. In said activity, there are instruments with the purpose of establishing a formalized mechanism for interlocution and dialogue with representatives. This perspective has been translated into decentralization policies that are accompanied by participatory processes such as the Contribution Fund for Municipal Social Infrastructure (CFMSI). The purpose of this essay is to analyze the interaction between formal and informal institutions in the process of prioritization of works financed by the CFMSI, from the neo-institutional approach. The study uses a qualitative analysis, where semi-structured interviews were applied to the members of the city council and to the members of the Municipal Social Development Council (MSDC) in the municipality of the study.

The MSDC is a formal institution based on organized participation and citizen representation which have been implemented in the municipalities of the state of Oaxaca to promote the SP in the use and distribution of CFMSI resources. Additionally, in parallel, the community assembly has served as the highest decision-making and prioritization body for public works in the municipalities governed by the Indigenous Normative Systems (SNI). Thus, the community assembly and the MSDC are the main institutions that determine the prioritization of public works in San Andrés Paxtlán. Formal and legal participation are represented in the MSDC and at the same time, an informal and legitimate participation of the community assembly of the Indigenous Normative System of Oaxaca.