"Party alliances in Brazilian states: from electoral to governmental coalitions"

• Grant number: 11/11543-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2011
• End date: September 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - State and Government
• Principal Investigator: Rachel Meneguello
• Grantee: Vítor Eduardo Veras de Sandes Freitas
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to analyze the logic of formation of party alliances in Brazilian states in 1986-2010. The research sought to understand how the political parties articulated themselves in the Brazilian states in order to form of electoral and government alliances in the current democratic regime. Most of the literature that deals with local policy is using the argument of Lima Júnior (1983; 1997) that Brazilian states have particular dynamics and different political paths among themselves, operating in these circumstances under specific "contextual political rationalities" at each state. However, a more recent aspect of studies point to a growing trend of alignment between the presidential and state-level electoral disputes, mainly from the general elections of 1994, generating the "presidentialization of electoral competition". This would have happened because of the influence of bipolar dynamic on the disputes of presidential elections between PT and PSDB on strategies of alliances in the state level elections/campaign in Brazil. The findings of this study point the state electoral arena has been increasingly impacted by "presidentialization" of electoral competition, since 1994, in face of PT and PSDB strategy to coordinate campaigns in the states. And, as for the party alliances within government, the local political dynamic allows parties to join forces following the particular political logic of each state, favoring agreements that cover the contextual political interests.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

FREITAS, Vítor Eduardo Veras de Sandes. Party alliances in Brazilian states: rom electoral to governmental coalitions. 2015. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas Campinas, SP.