ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The article explores the implementation of the national housing construction policy for low-income people at the local level. We studied the Minha Casa Minha Vida Program (PMCMV) in Recife and Curitiba between 2003-2012. Despite being a federal policy, there are local variations based on the choice of municipal administrations.
Materials and Methods:
Interviews were conducted with local officials and key informants, in addition to document analysis.
Results:
The operation of housing policy in these capital cities is different due to the institutionalization process and the administrative capacities of both municipalities. In Recife, with its loosely institutionalized housing policy and its limited capacities, the federal housing policy has shaped local politics. The Program was positively evaluated by the local officials in the area. In Curitiba, on the other hand, with a more solid institutionalization trajectory and greater installed capacities, federal policy was adapted to the logic of division of labor previously existing among municipal agencies. Local officials, in contrast, were critical of the PMCMV.
Discussion:
The article debates with the international literature on governance and decentralization and with the national literature on federalism and decentralization, which highlight the lack of decision-making autonomy at the local level. It concludes that it is necessary to pay attention to the contingent character of the relationship between decentralization and decision-making autonomy, since the implementation of public policies brings with it a certain degree of discretion. The PMCMV case reveals that there is room for local choices even in the case of nationally centralized policies.
Keywords:
Social housing policy; Minha Casa Minha Vida; Local agency; Federal induction; municipal capacities