Beyond local (in)capacity: analyzing the implementation of a federally induced urban policy in Brazil

Abstract

The article analyzes the capacity production of a Brazilian urban policy (Program of Acceleration of Growth - Slum Upgrading, PAC-UAP), whose implementation flaws are commonly associated with municipal governments shortcomings, even though its interventions involve a multiplicity of actors. Three analytical and empirical aspects are considered: (i) the need to expand knowledge on state capacity in policies implemented by a network of actors; (ii) the relevance of the debate of policy capacity, which refers to the ability of reaching the expected results in a specific public policy; (iii) and the demand to explore federally induced public policies in federations marked by heterogeneous subnational entities. Methodologically, the work develops a case study, complemented by documental analysis and interviews with key stakeholders. The research corroborates studies that emphasize that municipal problems affected the production capacity of PAC-UAP, particularly the lack of adequate human and financial resources. On the other hand, this study innovates when considering that the municipality is, in fact, the node of a network of actors, whose (in)capacity also affects the implementation. Therefore, it might not be possible to attribute only to the municipality the (in)success of this program. The article also reinforces the importance of incorporating organizational and systemic dimensions as explanatory elements, whose challenges can be potentiated when a program design is not adequate to the intrinsic characteristics of a certain public policy.