| Abstract |
This article provides a comparative study on the spaces for social participation in different Latin American regional organizations. Departing from an institutionalist approach, we review the structures, processes, and outcomes of civil society participation in regional governance in three representative regional projects-the Andean Community, The Southern Common Market, and the Central American Integration System. The objective of this article is to characterize the variation in the institutional designs of the channels for social participation in Latin American regional organizations, identifying their similarities and differences, patterns, and effects on regional governance and the roles played by civil society organizations in these regionalist processes. We reflect on the relevance of design variations, the reasons for such variation, and their effects on regional governance. We argue that despite some differences in institutional design, with the Central American Integration System developing a supranational logic of membership in contrast to the intergovernmental settings of the other two cases, social participation in the three cases is limited to agenda facilitation, and its effects on regional decision-making is residual.\n (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) ((sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)) (sic)"(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)"(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).\n Este art & iacute;culo presenta un estudio comparativo de los espacios de participaci & oacute;n social en diferentes organizaciones regionales latinoamericanas. Partiendo de un enfoque institucionalista, analizamos las estructuras, procesos y resultados de la participaci & oacute;n de la sociedad civil en la gobernanza regional de tres proyectos regionales representativos: la Comunidad Andina, el Mercado Com & uacute;n del Sur y el Sistema de la Integraci & oacute;n Centroamericana. El objetivo de este art & iacute;culo es caracterizar la variaci & oacute;n en los dise & ntilde;os institucionales de los canales de participaci & oacute;n social en estas organizaciones, identificando sus patrones, similitudes y diferencias, as & iacute; como los roles desempe & ntilde;ados por las organizaciones de la sociedad civil. Reflexionamos sobre la relevancia, las razones de tal variaci & oacute;n y sus efectos sobre la gobernanza regional. Sostenemos que, a pesar de las diferencias en el dise & ntilde;o, por la l & oacute;gica supranacional de membres & iacute;a caracter & iacute;stica en el Sistema de la Integraci & oacute;n Centroamericana en contraste con los entornos intergubernamentales de los otros dos casos, la participaci & oacute;n social en todos ellos se limita a la facilitaci & oacute;n de la agenda, mientras que sus efectos sobre la toma de decisiones son residuales. |
