Edson Ismael Luis Of the Carmo the participation of the individuals in the life of its communities is one of the most important characteristics of the modern citizenship, inaugurated during the revolutions, American and Frenchman, of sc. XVIII. E, since then, the classic definition of the civil laws includes the right to the individual freedom, of thought and expression, as well as the association and right of assembly, in which if it explicit recognizes the right (when not to have it) of the individual to act, to participate, in the general subjects of its community and/or public institutions and processes of decision with the end influencing of them. On the other hand, in more than the two hundred years that mediate in them of these important events, the participation of the citizens, at least since an ideal, paradigmtico point of view, has been gradually gone deep (in nothing linear a historical movement ), passing of the mere and more or less passive scrutiny and fiscalization of the subjects of ' ' Responsibility. Pblica' ' – that is, of community – for forms, gradually, more direct of performance, management and taking of decisions.
With effect, the participation of the citizens plays an important role in diverse sectors of the society, including work, culture, health, environment, planning and urban whitewashing, social action, etc. Essentially, are identified two great axles of communitarian participation: The participation to the level of ' ' Grass-roots' ' , that one mentions to the organizations and social movements organized by citizens, with its proper objectives and methods; the communitarian participation to the level formal participation, where if it foresees, since soon, the chance of the members of a community to influence the decisions directly politics – or others. As much in a case as in another one, the participation can be understood as one ' ' meio' ' (one mobilization form that aims at an objective concrete) or as one ' ' fim' ' , that is: as a process whose result is an increasing and significant participation of the individuals in the destinations of its community, that is: as an increase of being able. .