Brazil is no exception, and the process of reforming water institutions cannot be isolated from the broader institutional change that the country has gone through over the last three decades, especially in terms of the new relationship between civil society and public authorities following the country’s return to democracy. This discredit triggered calls from citizens for more direct participation, which has influenced public policies since then. At the time, greater emphasis on bottom-up approaches and citizens’ engagement contrasted with the more important role of representative democracy as well as higher trust in public authorities that prevailed in more stabilised democracies.