Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Miami, Florida – On September 17, 2013, fifty high ranking officials from the Brazilian government will gather for a seminar on the topic of “Public Protest, Good Governance and Effective Public Service Delivery.” This event which will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is sponsored and organized by the Center for Democracy and Good Governance of Florida International University’s Institute for Public Management and Community Service and the public administration program of Fundacao Getulio Vargas, one of the most prominent public administration schools in South America. Distinguished scholars and government officials from several countries of the world where political protest has recently been underway, will gather to echange insights and present their views on this subject.
As Institute Director, Allan Rosenbaum commented, “Many countries around the world have , during the course of the past few months, experienced substantial and extended political protest activity. Events in Egypt, Turkey and Brazil have captured public attention. However, equally dramatic protest activity has occured in places like Argentina, Bulgaria, Chile and several other countries.”
It is this set of developments which has caused the Center for Democracy and Good Governance to partner with Fundacao Getulio Vargas to organize this seminar. With experts coming from various countries around the world, it is anticipated that significant insights will emerge from the presentations and discussion at the seminar which will explore the impact that public protests, social movements and demonstrations have had on public service delivery at the local, regional or national level of government. The seminar will also examine the general impact of polical protest activity on good governance.
Questions such as if the demonstrations and public protests have led to improvements in the quality of or the extent of public services; or if demonstrations that begin with a concern about public services are likely to lead to a change of government or government policies or priorities will be examined. The seminar will address not only the relevant outcomes of the public protests, but also the processes involved, including factors that help focus or transform the protest activity which ultimately produces policy change or reform, or service improvement.
Drawing upon recent regional events, and using a comparative perspective, the seminar will discuss cases from Europe and the Americas. Globalization, social media, and the speed by which the impact of public demonstrations are disseminated in the XXI century makes this seminar even more relevant.
