DIMENSIONS OF LOCAL DECISION-MAKING CAPACITY, INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN AND COORDINATION MECHANISMS: the spaces of autonomy in brazilian municipalities

The article examines how institutional dynamics and the configuration of public policies in the Brazilian federal context affect the autonomy of municipalities in formulating their local agendas. It investigates how institutional arrangements and aspects related to policy management and implementation determine whether municipalities have greater or lesser leeway to decide on the adoption and prioritization of policies, taking into account the incentives and coordination power exercised by the federal government. The analysis identifies three groups of policies implemented locally: policies adopted through federal induction, policies with autonomous municipal action, and policies under the primary jurisdiction of other entities. For each group, the degree of autonomy in agenda-setting varies. Finally, in addition to the institutional design of policies, it emphasizes the importance of considering municipal capacities and sensitivity to local demands in determining municipal decision-making autonomy, in order to provide a comprehensive analysis of the role of local governments in Brazil and highlight the complexity of the dynamics involved in shaping the local agenda.

Local agenda; Municipal autonomy; Intergovernmental relations