Elites legislativas comparadas : Caraguatatuba, São Sebastião e Ubatuba

Abstract

This research analyzes comparatively the social profile of council members from the cities of Caraguatatuba, São Sebastião and Ubatuba, located on the north coast of São Paulo, in the period that includes the 2000, 2004 and 2008 elections, with the aim of verify what the similarities and differences in the local political elite. Considering that cities have similar socioeconomic characteristics, the profile of political elite will be similar as well. The hypothesis is based on the assumption that the social, economic and institutional characteristics impose certain conditions for entry and success in the political field, compelling politicians to acquire certain types of capital, this favoring the recruitment in the social strata that have greater possibilities to acquire such capital, constituting a particular social profile of political elite. The professional category was the main feature of political agents to be compared by allowing us to identify the social insertion of politicians. The analysis found that there are many similarities in the political elite of the cities, and the few differences are explained by the particular way that each city fits into the regional economy.