Civil society, institutions and state actors: interdependencies and constraints of the actions of social actors in participatory forums

Abstract

This article aims at understanding the way social actors are constituted and the way they act in the State sphere, especially in participatory forums. We examine two different theoretical perspectives regarding the relationship civil society-institutions-state actors: the first stresses the attributes of the civil society and its actors, as these attributes are seen as capable of explaining the actions of social actors. The second emphasizes the importance of institutions and state actors in the modeling of social actors’ identities, interests and strategies. We also discuss a third perspective, which highlights the relationship between these two poles, and is considered more suitable for the analysis of political action in participatory forums.