The Construction of State Capacities in Infrastructure Policies: Socio-Environmental Demands and State Heterogeneities

Abstract

Recently, in Brazil, a considerable amount of the infrastructure investment is directed towards the construction of hydroelectric plants in the Amazon region. The implementation of these projects requires strong State capacity. However, there are shortcomings related to State’s abilities and resources to meet the socio--environmental demands of vulnerable groups that these ventures affect. This article examines the incorporation of these demands in the decision-making and implementation process of the Belo Monte plant, located in the State of Pará. To this end, we mobilize a State capacity approach that considers the bureaucracy skills to process multiple demands. We use an analytical framework that incor-porates three dimensions of State capacity – participatory, decision-making and intersectoral coordination –, whose construction is influenced by institutional arrangement, historical legacies and relational pattern between bureaucracies and social groups. The methodological procedures combine social networks analysis, documentary research, and interviews with key players. We conclude that the factors that influence the construction of State capacity reach bureaucracies asym-metrically, which hinders the incorporation of socio-environmental demands of vulnerable groups.