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State Institutions, Power, and Social Networks in Brazilian Urban Policies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2022

Eduardo Marques*
Affiliation:
University of São Paulo and Center for Metropolitan Studies
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Abstract

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A large historiographic tradition has studied the Brazilian state, yet we know relatively little about its internal dynamics and particularities. The role of informal, personal, and unintentional ties has remained underexplored in most policy network studies, mainly because of the pluralist origin of that tradition. It is possible to use network analysis to expand this knowledge by developing mesolevel analysis of those processes. This article proposes an analytical framework for studying networks inside policy communities. This framework considers the stable and resilient patterns that characterize state institutions, especially in contexts of low institutionalization, particularly those found in Latin America and Brazil. The article builds on research on urban policies in Brazil to suggest that networks made of institutional and personal ties structure state organizations internally and insert them into broader political scenarios. These networks, which I call state fabric, frame politics, influence public policies, and introduce more stability and predictability than the majority of the literature usually considers. They also form a specific power resource—positional power, associated with the positions that political actors occupy—that influences politics inside and around the state.

Resumo

Resumo

O Estado brasileiro tem sido objeto de intenso debate nas ciências sociais, em especial pela importância de suas políticas para diversas dimensões do país. Apesar disso, conhecemos relativamente pouco suas dinâmicas internas e os detalhes do seu funcionamento. O uso de análise de redes é uma das possíveis estratégias analíticas para o desenvolvimento de análises de nível intermediário sobre tais processos. Entretanto, a importância de laços informais, pessoais e não intencionais foi muito pouco explorada pela tradição de estudos das redes de políticas públicas, principalmente pela origem pluralista dessa tradição. Esse artigo propõe uma abordagem analítica para o estudo de redes dentro de comunidades de políticas que considera os padrões estáveis e resilientes que caracterizam as instituições estatais, especialmente em contextos como os da América Latina e do Brasil, em particular.

O artigo se apóia em pesquisas recentes sobre políticas urbanas no Brasil, sugerindo que redes feitas de vínculos institucionais e pessoais estruturam as organizações do Estado internamente, ao mesmo tempo em que as inserem em cenários políticos mais amplos. Essas redes, que denomino de tecido do Estado, enquadram as lutas políticas, influenciam as políticas públicas e introduzem maior estabilidade e previsibilidade do que considerado usualmente. Elas também configuram um tipo específico de poder —poder posicional— associado às posições ocupadas pelos atores políticos, influenciando a política dentro e no entorno do Estado.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by the Latin American Studies Association

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