Policy Making Latin American Public Policy Review

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026)

Published: 2026-04-20

Editorial

  • Apresentação

    1
    André Marenco (Author)
    É com grande satisfação que apresentamos a primeira “tiragem” de Policy Making – Latin American Public Policy Review. Esta publicação, que funcionaráem fluxo contínuo, nasce com a missão de impulsionar o campo de políti… É com grande satisfação que apresentamos a primeira “tiragem” de Policy Making – Latin American Public Policy Review. Esta publicação, que funcionaráem fluxo contínuo, nasce com a missão de impulsionar o campo de políticas públicas na América Latina, fundamentando-se no rigor científico, na transparência editorial e na ética acadêmica. Ver mais Ver menos

Analytics

  • Policy Process Research in Latin America

    2-16
    Christopher M. Weible, Alejandra Medina, José Sánchez (Author)
    What is the policy process as a field of study? How does it relate to other disciplines and fields? Why are theories central to advancing knowledge in this area? And how can policy process scholarship in Latin America c… What is the policy process as a field of study? How does it relate to other disciplines and fields? Why are theories central to advancing knowledge in this area? And how can policy process scholarship in Latin America continue to advance? This essay addresses these questions with particular emphasis on its theoretical and empirical scholarship in Latin America. It starts with a brief recount of the emergence of policy process research as an area of study, largely rooted in scholarship in the United States, offering multiple descriptions to clarify understanding what the field encompasses. It then argues for the continuing importance of theory in generating systematic and generalizable knowledge of the policy process using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) as an illustration of what policy process theories can accomplish. The essay then explores the challenges and opportunities shaping past, present, and future policy process research in Latin America. Ver mais Ver menos

  • Politicization of Street-Level Bureaucracy: Pressure in Its Various Forms

    17-36
    Virginia Rocha, Lucas Almendra, Gabriela Lotta (Author)
    This article examines how politicians exert pressure on street-level bureaucrats to advance their interests, focusing on four main forms of politicization: patronage (loyalty-based appointments), policy issues (ideologi… This article examines how politicians exert pressure on street-level bureaucrats to advance their interests, focusing on four main forms of politicization: patronage (loyalty-based appointments), policy issues (ideological disputes in public agendas), top-down pressures (direct interference and bureaucratic bashing), and bureaucrats running for office. Drawing on a literature review, the study encompasses national and international papers, particularly in polarized and populist contexts. We systematize these pressures, their various effects (e.g., reduced frontline collaboration, increased stress and public distrust, revolving doors), and mitigation strategies, summarized in a comprehensive table. Results highlight patronage's role in eroding meritocracy, policy conflicts' ambiguity undermining implementation, hierarchical pressures fostering dysfunctions during elections, and electoral candidacies promoting corporatist platforms. Mitigation includes limiting commissioned posts, enhancing transparency and citizen participation, strategic planning with neutrality training, and institutional reforms for bureaucratic independence. In conclusion, balancing political responsiveness with professional ethos is crucial for democratic governance and service quality, especially at street level. Ver mais Ver menos

  • Complex Challenges at the Local Level: The Case of Inclusive Special Education Policies in Brazilian Federalism

    37-52
    Fernando Luiz Abrucio, Yasmim Marques de Melo, Rayane Vieira Rodrigues, Ilza Jorge (Author)
    With the mission of expanding the welfare state, Brazilian municipalities assumed a greater role in the implementation of social policies following the 1988 Constitution. As a result, intergovernmental cooperation with … With the mission of expanding the welfare state, Brazilian municipalities assumed a greater role in the implementation of social policies following the 1988 Constitution. As a result, intergovernmental cooperation with federal and state governments became highly important in the management of municipalized policies, especially those addressing complex problems. Considering this institutional context, this article seeks to understand the main challenges of Inclusive Special Education policies at the local level and how the strength or weakness of federative and intersectoral collaboration mechanisms has affected their implementation process. To this end, an extensive qualitative empirical study was conducted in Brazilian municipalities as part of the Alavancas Project, led by the Instituto Rodrigo Mendes. Inclusive Education policy was selected because it aims to address complex problems and is inherently intersectoral. The findings indicate that Inclusive Special Education policies face significant challenges in both formulation and implementation at the local level, particularly in municipalities with lower state capacities and greater territorial complexities, where low integration among the different sectoral areas involved in the policy stands out. The study concludes that complex problems cannot be addressed solely through sectoral National Public Policy Systems in a context of high intermunicipal inequality, especially given the absence of mechanisms for simultaneous federative and intersectoral coordination within the Brazilian state. Ver mais Ver menos

  • Collective Health and Public Policies

    53-69
    Rita Barradas Barata (Author)
    This text briefly describes the field of Collective Health and its relationship with public policies, starting from the expanded concept of health, the concept of social determinants on health, and the central problem o… This text briefly describes the field of Collective Health and its relationship with public policies, starting from the expanded concept of health, the concept of social determinants on health, and the central problem of social inequalities in health. Next, a discussion is presented on the social determinants and power relations that influence decision-making and the formulation of sectoral or extra-sectoral public policies to address inequalities. The following topic focuses on the contributions of Epidemiology, a Collective Health discipline, in identifying relevant problems, providing evidence for policy formulation, technological arrangements for implementation, and methodologies for evaluating the impact of policies on health situation. Finally, contemporary challenges for the field are briefly presented: the predominance of neoliberal politics and the resurgence of the far right as concrete threats to the objectives and political commitments to improving the population health status and reducing social inequalities in health. Ver mais Ver menos

  • Governance by Abstractions and the Institutionalization of Environmental Illegality in Amazonas

    70-79
    Lucas Ferrante (Author)
    This study analyzes how governance oriented by economic and administrative abstractions has contributed to the institutionalization of environmental illegality in the Brazilian Amazon. By prioritizing formal regulatory … This study analyzes how governance oriented by economic and administrative abstractions has contributed to the institutionalization of environmental illegality in the Brazilian Amazon. By prioritizing formal regulatory instruments and growth targets detached from socioecological realities, public policies have weakened environmental enforcement, fostering deforestation, land grabbing, and the expansion of illegal activities. Focusing on the state of Amazonas, the study highlights the role of Decree No. 52,216, which allows the regularization of environmental liabilities based on the Cadastro Ambiental Rural (Rural Environmental Registry, or CAR), a self-declaratory system, effectively legitimizing prior illegal deforestation. Empirical evidence indicates that these policies have facilitated the expansion of logging activities and illegal land occupation, particularly along the BR-319 highway, where governance gaps persist. This process reinforces cycles of illegality, compromises ecosystem services, climate stability, and legal certainty, and threatens Indigenous lands. The findings demonstrate that governance by abstractions generates systemic risks and intensifies environmental degradation. Ver mais Ver menos

Expertos

  • Federalism in Current Proposals for Reform of the Brazilian State

    80-90
    Ellen Benedetti (Author)
    Starting from the recent context of debates on Administrative Reform taking place in the National Congress, and the drafting of the General Public Management Law, prepared by a commission of experts and currently under … Starting from the recent context of debates on Administrative Reform taking place in the National Congress, and the drafting of the General Public Management Law, prepared by a commission of experts and currently under discussion by the federal government, this article analyzes the role of federalism in contemporary proposals for reforming the Brazilian state, focusing on the challenges of intergovernmental coordination and inequalities in state capacities among subnational entities, especially municipalities. Both reform proposals are guided by the goal of making the state more effective in responding to societal demands. However, this objective will not be achieved as long as it remains restricted to functions exercised by the federal level. State reform must, above all, encompass the state as it is experienced in citizens' daily lives at the local level, where public policies and essential services are implemented. Given the increasing responsibilities assigned to municipalities and the inequalities in their capacities to respond to social demands, the article discusses how federalism is addressed in both instruments. It concludes that, although the proposal for the new General Public Management Law advances by explicitly recognizing inequalities in subnational capacities and by assigning the Union a more active role in technical assistance and the promotion of intergovernmental equity, the Administrative Reform proposal under debate in Congress adopts a predominantly restrictive approach, centered on limiting the municipal apparatus, which may exacerbate capacity inequalities and deepen challenges faced by municipalities. Ver mais Ver menos

  • Road Safety Diagnosis of Municipalities in the State of São Paulo: Report on the Process of Development and Implementation

    91-97
    Eduardo Cesar Bohn (Author)
    This study presents the process of designing and implementing the Road Safety Diagnosis of Municipalities in the State of São Paulo, an initiative conducted by the São Paulo State Traffic Department (Detran-SP) in the c… This study presents the process of designing and implementing the Road Safety Diagnosis of Municipalities in the State of São Paulo, an initiative conducted by the São Paulo State Traffic Department (Detran-SP) in the context of its institutional restructuring and the implementation of strategic initiatives such as the São Paulo State Road Safety Plan (PSV-SP) and the Respeito à Vida Program (PRaVida). The survey, unprecedented in thematic and territorial scope, was applied to all 645 municipalities in the state, with the objective of mapping governance structures, legal instruments, institutional capacities and practices related to road safety at the local level. Structured around the principles of Vision Zero and the Safe System approach, the diagnosis was implemented through an online questionnaire organized into thematic dimensions and inspired by municipal data-collection instruments such as MUNIC/IBGE and the Municipal Management Effectiveness Index (IEG-M) of the São Paulo State Court of Accounts. The study describes methodology, institutional mobilization strategies to ensure municipal participation, lessons learned and next steps to improve the tool and to use the knowledge generated. The Diagnosis demonstrates potential to support evidence-based policies and strengthen cooperation between the state and municipalities in promoting road safety. Ver mais Ver menos

Up to Date

  • Family Policies in Latin America: From Implicit to Explicit Familialism

    98-99
    Armando Barrientos (Author)
    Esping-Andersen's influential 'welfare regime' construct conceptualised the production of welfare in modern societies as the outcome of three main institutions: markets, families and the state. In Latin America, familie… Esping-Andersen's influential 'welfare regime' construct conceptualised the production of welfare in modern societies as the outcome of three main institutions: markets, families and the state. In Latin America, families have received much less attention than markets and states as essential generators of welfare. Family Policies in Latin America addresses this relative neglect by offering a comprehensive and reflective perspective on this area of public policy. The contributions collected in this volume take stock of available research on family policies and set in motion an ambitious research agenda. Ver mais Ver menos