Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 57 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro abr./jun. 2014
Abstract
Collegiate bodies, formed by representatives of municipal, state and federal government were organized in order to discuss government action in selected domains of Brazilian public policy after 1988. However, a portion of the political science literature warns against the risks of decision-making paralysis or suboptimal results that may arise from joint decision arrangements that encompass several distinct levels of government. This article investigates whether the intergovernmental commissions for social policies (health, social assistance and education), considering that they operate according to rules of consensual decision and partisan representation of subnational units. In light of the empirical evidence built upon a database covering the activities of three commissions, it was possible to verify that these bodies were nevertheless capable of taking a high number of relevant decisions, except for in the case of educational policy, constrained as it is by the commission's particular institutional design, which is, in turn, the result of its unique historical trajectory compared to health and social assistance.
Keywords: federative coordination, joint decision trap, decision-making paralysis, social policy
Federative coordination and the 'joint decision trap': the intergovernmental articulation commissions for social policy in Brazil
Português do Brasil
Español