State capacities for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Brazil

This paper aims to discuss the Brazilian state capacities for the implementation of policies targeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main argument to be discussed in this paper is that distinct... [ view full abstract ]

This paper aims to discuss the Brazilian state capacities for the implementation of policies targeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main argument to be discussed in this paper is that distinct levels of state capacities can explain different performance on the implementation of public policies towards sustainable development. One can argue that the SDGs provide a rich set of interconnected policies to address key aspects of the state capacities behavior in a complex policy-implementation context such as the contingency of policy areas or types of policies; the relevance of time and spatial framing; and the   dynamics of interaction amongst different dimensions of   capacities. 

Acknowledging the multiplicity of state capacities definitions in the literature, this work proposes an operational analytical framework in order to capture four dimensions of the conditions for the state action – administrative, internal coordination, political-relational and autonomy - in two different levels – individual and organizational.

This investigation is carried out in four sections. The first part is dedicated to rescue and discuss the trajectory of   the SDGs’ formulation in the Brazilian context. Taking into consideration Brazil’s prominence in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) scenario as well as in the elaboration of the proposals for the 2030 Agenda, that  section analysis the implications of this leadership role to the development and implementation of practical actions towards the SDGs in Brazil at the present time. The section discusses general strategic differences in the conceptions of the MDGs and the SDGS and tries to identify the main governmental discourse regarding the necessary capacities for implementing public policies targeting the SDGs that emerged from this trajectory. The second part presents the analytical framework and the survey instrument developed to capture Brazilian civil servants on the state capacities for SDGs policies implementation. The third part of the investigation examines data produced that comprehensive survey applied in main Brazilian government to build diagnosis of state capacities in   the different federal agencies. The last section discusses the main findings regarding the relevance of state capacities for facing the   SDGs.