La co-gestión de Políticas Públicas Sociales entre Estado y sociedad civil: El aporte de la Psicología Social Comunitaria a la construcción del diálogo entre actores diversos

Abstract

This paper presents the contribution of Social Community Psychology (SCP) to the development of understanding and participation in the context of social public policies (SPP) that are co-managed between the State and civil society. We provide an analysis of the complexity of the socio-political setting, and the importance of considering psychosocial and subjective processes when aiming to strengthen the participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) and the population targeted by the policy. We present an intervention developed by the Faculty of Psychology at the University of the Republic (Uruguay) in a comprehensive care program for early childhood in poor areas, carried out by the provincial government of Montevideo in partnership with CSOs. We describe and analyze the construction of the problem of the intervention and develop the methodological strategy carried out in that context, the techniques used and the results obtained, after explaining the concept of participation and co-management. In keeping with the construction of the problem, the methodological strategy was formulated following three purposes: (1) to integrate the different voices that constitute the program, (2) to build dialogic spaces, and (3) to alternate a look a the whole program with a focus on unique processes that were deployed in the various early education centers. We discuss techniques, tools and materials to promote collective and participatory work, to socialize and discuss the findings, conclusions and questions about participation in early education centers. We conclude that the contribution of the SCP to SPP requires consistency between an analysis of the complexity of the field and an intervention strategy that is flexible and dynamic. When there is an interest in developing a social policy that will strengthen participation and democracy, the association with potential contributions of SCP is favored. However, this does not mean the absence of contradictions and conflicts in the process, some of which are expressions of the stress of a leftist government within the framework of a capitalist state.