Policy dismantling and democratic regression in Brazil under Bolsonaro: Coalition politics, ideas, and underlying discourses

Carolina Milhorance

Review of Policy Research, 2022, vol. 39, issue 6, 752-770

Abstract: Drawing on a cost–benefit approach, policy dismantling literature typically examines case studies following omitted and blame‐avoidance strategies, which contrasts with the highly visible dismantling fostered by Bolsonaro's far‐right administration in Brazil. This study examines the mechanisms leading to this active process and places it in the context of major policy changes in several fields (i.e., rural development, land titling, social protection, environment, and protection of indigenous peoples). It shows that dismantling decisions were made incrementally by conservative coalitions that seized upon the economic crisis to consolidate a neoliberal turn; however, this turn was radicalized with the expansion of the conservative alliance and tied together by populist rhetoric. This study sheds light on the politics of policy dismantling and addresses it as a process of democratic backsliding. Basándose en un enfoque de costo‐beneficio, la literatura sobre desmantelamiento de políticas generalmente examina estudios de casos siguiendo estrategias omitidas y de evitación de culpas, lo que contrasta con el desmantelamiento altamente visible fomentado por la administración de extrema derecha de Bolsonaro en Brasil. Este estudio examina los mecanismos que conducen a este proceso activo y lo ubica en el contexto de importantes cambios de política en varios campos (es decir, desarrollo rural, titulación de tierras, protección social, medio ambiente y protección de los pueblos indígenas). Muestra que las decisiones de desmantelamiento fueron tomadas de manera incremental por coaliciones conservadoras que aprovecharon la crisis económica para consolidar un giro neoliberal; sin embargo, este giro se radicalizó con la expansión de la alianza conservadora y se vinculó con la retórica populista. Este estudio arroja luz sobre la política de desmantelamiento de políticas y la aborda como un proceso de retroceso democrático. 基于成本效益方法，政策废除文献通常通过被省略战略和避责战略分析案例研究，这与巴西博索纳罗极右政府领导下的高度明显的政策废除形成鲜明对比。本研究分析了导致这一活动过程的机制，并将其置于多个领域(即农村发展、土地所有权、社会保护、环境以及土著人民保护)的重大政策变革情境下。研究表明，利用经济危机巩固新自由主义转向(neoliberal turn)的保守联盟逐步废除决策；不过，随着保守联盟的扩大，这一转向变得激进，并被民粹主义言论捆绑在一起。本研究阐明了政策废除的权术，并将其称为民主倒退的过程。

Date: 2022
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