O papel das arena de pactuação da política ambiental brasileira

Abstract

Environmental policy has been gradually evolving over the past forty years through successive administrations. Moreover, sectoral policies have transformed the decisions made during the Eco 92, which were subsequently incorporated into the CF88, presenting management challenges due to the necessity of federative entities' adherence and the internalization of guidelines. Specialized literature points to the relevance of complex arrangements, such as institutionalized mechanisms of coordination and induction, within public policies during the democratic era. Thus, there arises a question regarding the role of Federal Executive intergovernmental commissions in shaping Brazilian environmental policy. Therefore, the role of Federal Executive intergovernmental commissions in shaping Brazilian environmental policy is questioned. The hypothesis posits that each thematic area establishes a distinct pattern of interaction, contingent upon a complex interplay of dimensions related to the characteristics of involved actors, which vary according to their interests and associated conflicts, themselves subject to varying degrees, and institutional dimensions within which they operate. In essence, each commission necessitates a specific form of federative coordination to address collective action dilemmas resulting from interactions between agency and structure in each context. The research employs a descriptive qualitative methodological design, using official documents and secondary data from the Tripartite National Commission (CTN), the National Biodiversity Commission (Conabio), the Executive Group on Climate Change (GEx), the Commission on Sustainable Development Policies and Agenda 21 (CPDS), and the National Commission to Combat Desertification (CNCD). The findings reveal that the CTN facilitated vertical federative coordination, whereby the Union induced collaborative participation from subnational entities, combining efforts to bolster municipal capacities and resolve federative conflicts, with the regulation of Article 23, emulation of the CTN in territories, and resolution of specific conflicts presented in meetings. Conabio, on the other hand, was used for vertical coordination of the Union to decrease collaboration costs of subnational entities and to ensure that agents provided the information demanded by the federal entity. Similarly, through vertical coordination, the Union combined induction actions through financial mechanisms with the development of informational instruments, both debated and used in CPDS meetings. Meanwhile, GEx played the role of bringing horizontal coordination, in which the federal entity brought control and social participation to induce the compromise of other public policy sectors. Lastly, CNCD operated towards vertically coordinating affected subnational entities to mitigate the Union's free-rider effect, aiming to introduce the agenda in public opinion and Legislative political dynamics. It is concluded that the use of institutionalized mechanisms of coordination is central to inducing the adherence of federative entities and, therefore, to the trajectory of environmental policy in Brazil. Despite the distinct legal objectives of each arena, they have collectively served as institutionalized mechanisms of coordination and induction within a public policy framework that relies on limited financial and normative coordination mechanisms.