Participatory institutions and their effects on public policies: a study of the Comitê de Mortalidade por AIDS, in Porto Alegre, Brazil

Abstract

This study is part of the discussions on the effects of participatory institutions on public policies. The objective was to understand the perception of the members of the Comitê Municipal de Mortalidade por AIDS (Municipal AIDS Mortality Committee) in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on the effects of this institution on the improvement of care for people living with HIV/AIDS. This is a qualitative research performed as a case study, conducted with 17 members of this committee. We attended their monthly meetings; data was collected with ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. We used the Theory of Institutions as the theoretical framework. We identified that the committee can diagnose several problems in the health system of the city and point the frailties of the services. However, the institution is still uncapable of guaranteeing that the suggested proposals will be implemented to solve the problems identified and, therefore, improve the quality of the services for people with HIV/AIDS.