Introduction

How does political culture affect development processes? How do the identities, values, ideas, prejudices, and feelings that are predominant in a society and are expressed in the political sphere (in the recognition of institutions and in the practices, outlooks, and broadly shared political norms) act upon development? In particular, how do they act upon the possibilities of development of people’s and societies’ capabilities?
The political cultures that historically have been dominant in Latin America limit the development of people's and communities’ capabilities, especially their political capabilities. They do so by emphasizing differences and by stigmatizing and lowering the other (whether poor, woman, indigenous, migrant, black, or mestizo). This pattern, which is expressed in the practices and projections of political cultures of inequality, was later reconstructed by oligarchies during the era of the Republic, and subsequently by populist governments. Recently, it has been implemented through market fundamentalism, which tends to exclude those who have limited or no access to consumption, education, and employment. This pattern of inequality naturally presents obstacles to more equitable and sustainable development.

In the context of the democratization that is taking place in the region, however, some social and institutional experiences show that a more egalitarian political culture seems to be emerging. By recognizing differences, it strives to create a democratic framework of citizen participation and to foster conditions that allow people and societies to develop their capabilities. The potential of this political culture is based on the fact that it allows for a rethinking of development from the perspective of people's and communities' own interests and actions. Given the problems of legitimacy of the exercising of democracy--in the region specifically, and in contemporary societies in general--a particularly important avenue of democratic renovation is the expansion of deliberative culture and deliberative politics. This means (in gross oversimplification) the construction of options that permit diverse actors to reach agreements for achieving development results.
Deliberative politics, which can have effects on culture, is based on a pluralistic notion of justice that seeks the recognition of equality in difference. This, in turn, can promote socially shared economic development, starting with the idea that development must include many distinct groups, and with a reexamination of the notions of the common good and public responsibility. Moreover, deliberative politics tries to link in a renewed way the local, the national, and the global, striving to use information technology in new forms, and to participate in globalization in an advantageous way.

Our discussion emphasizes the contributions of deliberative culture to the democratic procedures and values that are necessary for achieving levels of social and political participation that promote socially inclusive development. Two analytical sources support our perspective: the historical experiences and processes of empirically demonstrated cases and situations, and the new literature on deliberation and development.