Policy analysis styles in Brazil

Abstract

This paper examines the development and main characteristics of Policy Analysis styles in Brazil, based the field’s output in the 20 years following the promulgation of the Brazilian Constitution in 1988. The term “styles” refer to the methodological orientation that has been used for Policy Analysis in Brazil. In this sense, the article discusses two main styles, the economic and the socio-political. Within each style it is possible to identify three basic approaches referring to the scope of the analysis — macro, meso, and micro. It is argued that, because Policy Analysis developed in Brazil without the influence of the “founding fathers” of the field, it relies mainly on the methods that have been used in Economic, Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology. Policy Analysis is still a young discipline in Brazil, but it is likely to expand due to society’s growing complexity, which will lead to increasing demand for sensible public policies.