Writing a Comparison When Inputs Are Asymmetrical: An Analysis of Engagement in Brazilian Participatory Mechanisms

Comparative methodology supposes the application of the same techniques of investigation to the cases studied in order to collect similar data. However, this approach is not necessarily heuristic nor even possible. This article analyzes the writing process of comparative research by questioning, first of all, the symmetry required when using comparative methodology. Does asymmetry constitute an obstacle or a consubstantial problem of comparison? Secondly, the writing act is analyzed in order to understand its consequences for comparison.