Parliament of knowledge: the role of social scientists in debates in the Chamber of Deputies as a form of public service

Abstract

Starting from the notion of intellectuals from the Social Sciences field as interpreters of the social world and politics, the article focuses on the participation of social scientists in political debates promoted by the Chamber of Deputies through public hearings. The theoretical approach adopted is that of Political Sociology. The debates are understood here with a form of public service provided by the invited researchers, from the sharing of expertise within the legislative agenda. Public hearings are an important tool for argumentative exchanges and sources of information to support the decisions of parliamentarians. To that end, anthropologists, political scientists and sociologists who participated in debates in the legislative context or accompanying such discussions were interviewed. The conclusions indicate a critical view of these actors, focused on two approaches: (a) the impacts and positive effects of the use of intellectual expertise in the political field; and (b) in its limitations, due to the superficiality and instrumental use of the debates, especially in the case of public hearings.