Effects of decentralization on cross-government relations: Brazil from a comparative perspective

Abstract

This article analyzes the effects of decentralization policies on the evolution of the balance of power among presidents, governors, and mayors in Brazil after the demise of the developmental state. It compares the consequences of post-developmentalist decentralization in Brazil to those that the similar processes had in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. To explain the differences observed among countries, the article advances a sequential theory of decentralization, which is then applied to the Brazilian case.