Broadening the notion of democratic accountability: Participatory innovation in Latin America

Abstract

This article focuses on a set of democratic innovations that were introduced in recent years in Latin America that involve the participation of civil society as an active agent of accountability. Participatory innovations are redefining the traditional scenario in which the practice of democratic representation takes place, adding novel arenas and mechanisms to engage actors that traditionally were not actively involved in accountability politics. The proliferation of alternative means for holding governments accountable undermines the traditional view of democratic representation, which continues to view elections as the quintessential mechanism of citizen control. The conventional way of thinking about the role of citizens in the practice of democratic accountability-which was largely modeled around the act of electoral delegation-must be reconceptualized to make room for other mechanisms of citizen control beyond the sporadic act of voting.