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We would like to examine how effective the ideas of skills and capacities are as operative pragmatic critical concepts in the light of the new processes of domination, particularly those exerted by institutions. To accomplish this, we have based our investigation in this text on the joint experience of a local council and the social accession to the ownership of a jointly-managed property. We find that the specific capacities required by participatory democracy are disrupted by this cooperative experience: the decision-making processes rely on actions and the capacity dimension on the grips designed to that effect. Those concerned by social accession therefore do not seek public recognition of capacities that could lead to some influence in the decision so much as the joint creation of critical emancipation grips with regards to these participative processes. This movement from participative expertise to cooperative emancipation helps to overcome the compulsion of competences and improve the links between the elaboration of the grips and the critical impact of emancipation processes. Adapted from the source document.