Índice de Democracia Local e seus efeitos: uma aplicação ao município de São Carlos

Abstract

This master thesis aims to apply the Local Democracy Index (LDI) using the variables "electoral process", "freedoms and rights", and "government functioning" to assess the quality of democracy in the municipality of São Carlos, in the state of São Paulo. This involves establishing a dialogue between the most recent methodology on local democracy quality and contemporary political literature that underpins the debate on democracy and the quality of political regimes. The thesis directs efforts towards one of the key elements for the maintenance and improvement of democracy: the ability to measure the state of the democratic regime. Despite advances in comparative analyses, the local level still lacks research that generates data to deepen the understanding of federative entities more closely related to citizens. In terms of methodology, this thesis employs a survey with experts who evaluate components of the three variables under analysis. The overall result obtained by São Carlos' LDI was 6.11 on a scale of 0 to 10, a value close to the indices of São Paulo (5.67) and Curitiba (4.95). However, each variable showed differences: "electoral process" and "freedoms and rights" scored higher when compared to the capitals of São Paulo and Paraná. On the other hand, "government functioning" represents São Carlos' lowest score, below the results obtained in São Paulo and Curitiba. This negative result is primarily explained by the accountability deficit, as highlighted by the survey respondents. Another outcome of this work involves the development of a methodology to determine the exact number of experts needed and their balanced distribution among various institutions and socio-demographic segments. This aims to establish a more defined and adaptable method for different contexts, maximizing the analytical potential of the LDI and its applicability in a variety of urban scenarios.