In order to analyze the institutionalization of alternative channels of participation in public policy making in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, the paper starts from the assumption that the relationship between accountability and responsiveness in the so called “new democracies” basically depends on the institutional design adopted and on its adequacy to the prevailing societal conditions. The present study is organized as follows: in the first section we analyze some characteristics of the Municipal Councils entitled to formulate and manage sectorial policies in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, pointing out similarities with the experience of the Councils in the city of Rio de Janeiro. In the second section we briefly discuss the potentialities and constraints of the Participatory Budget in the city of Belo Horizonte, which presents strong similarities to policies implemented in other Brazilian cities. Finally, we present and analyze some of the innovating experiences put forward by the Legislative in the state of Minas Gerais, which aims at involving organized groups in the formulation and monitoring of regulatory policies. In its final section, the article tries to evaluate these institutional innovations relating them to the widespread demand for accountability and to the expected increase of responsiveness of Minas Gerais public agents

v. 22, n. 1(85)