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Capacidades estatais e políticas públicas

Abstract

The general objective of this work is to perform an analysis of the development of a selected set of different capabilities dimensions of the Brazilian State based on the experience of Pronaf in the period from 1996 to 2016. Five State's capabilities dimensions, considered fundamental for the promotion of public policies, were selected: i) financing, ii) bureaucratic, iii) legal, iv) political-relational and v) enforcement. Each of them will be classified as STRONG, MEDIUM or WEAK. This approach is not limited to the role of the State, but refers to the instruments, skills and institutions (public or private) which are connected with this institution to make possible to carry out initiatives for socioeconomic development. In this sense, the question that moves this dissertation is: Has the Brazilian State developed, in the period from 1996 to 2016, the capabilities that are necessary to promote the actions related to Pronaf? Three hypotheses, that seemed relevant to guide the development of reflection, emerged: 1) despite the development of different capabilities dimensions of the Brazilian State in relation to Pronaf in the period 1996 to 2016, there are still bottlenecks that may compromise the program's sustainability and performance; 2) the development of capabilities dimensions between 1996 and 2016 was asymmetrical both among the different capacities as between the public and private actors involved in the promotion of Pronaf, which meant in some limits of execution; 3) the development of a particular capability does not mean sufficiency from the point of view of policy outcomes, such as scope, effectiveness, efficiency, etc. Or, putting in the reverse mode, the non-development of some specific capabilities can compromise State performance even when other relevant capabilities have been well developed. Thus, the aim of this work is to contribute to the innovative discussion on State capabilities in Brazil, as well as to a reflection on the promotion of public policies.