La relación Estado-sociedad civil a través de las estructuras de los gobiernos descentralizados en Venezuela

This   article  contains  an  approach   to  the dynamics  of  the  relationship  between  civil society  and  the  decentralized   statc  within Venezuelan federal entities and mmlicipalities. The central  hypothesis  maintains  that  from the onsct  of the decentralization  process  in 1990 there ha'> been a proliferation of civil groups   that  are  organized   aruund   public concerns  such as health, housing,  education and   ncighborhood    social   programs,    and that   are   associated   with   thc   increasing competency  exercised  by  city  councils  and state  governments;  and,  secondly,  that  the relationship established with these territorial government structures is still prccarious, since their  performance  depends  more  upon  the initiative shown by governments than by the degrcc  of  autonomy  contained  within  the mechanisms   promoting civil participation. This  paper  emphasizes  the  importance  of this   recent   reality   bound   by   tendencies towards  a greater  complexness of the social prucesses  and towards  a growing functional differentiation that demands the e:x:istence of public spheres, far beyond the State.   From this outlook, the processes ofdecentralization provide   fertile  ground   for  expanding   the mechanisms for civil participation,  provided that they can dim the marked mobilizing and clicntcle signs of the patrimonialist state, and give way to the growing institutionalization of civil group actions within tl1e territories.