Between formality and effectiveness: The dynamics of social participation in the political cycle of a tourism management council in Juiz de Fora/MG

Based on public policy theory this paper analyses how individual actors interact in order to push (or avoid) touristic issues in the public arena and what themes intro-duced in their agenda are converted into actions. It is a case study based on prima-ry and secondary data collection and analysis. Methodological it is carried on quanti-tative (descriptive statistic) and qualitative (contend analysis) techniques. The re-sults suggest a direct relationship between the power of the actors, the degree of participation and the tendency to approve and execute the proposals. In summary, some central actors drive the collective public policy.