If the so-called democratic innovations seek to expand the direct participation of the citizens, this does not mean that traditional political institutions have become less apt to represent them. Participative practices may certainly strengthen democracy by broadening the role of citizens. However, this does not occur at the cost of diminishing political representation and its institutions. The strengthening of supposedly participatory forms of democracy does not correspond to the undermining of representative government. The emergence of new democratic spaces, as well as of new actors involved in the administration of public goods, can, on the other hand, be perceived as a form of strengthening political representation rather than a sign of its weakening. This is certainly the case of the “national public policy conferences”, which have been proving themselves decisive to the formulation of public policies in Brazil, while activating and impelling the legal production of the Parliament. This paper supports this argument presenting quantitative and qualitative results of the impacts of the national public policies conferences on policymaking and lawmaking in Brazil.
