The transformation of the characteristics of the Chamber of Deputies' legislative output from 1995 to 2010

• Grant number: 14/21953-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2015
• End date: February 28, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Political Behavior
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Maria Do Socorro Sousa Braga
• Grantee: Gustavo Reis Sabbag de Souza
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project seeks to analyze if the characteristics of the legislative output of the Brazil's Chamber of Deputies changed from 1995 to 2010, with regard to their level of coverage, effects and themes, and identify possible causes, if by the executive's agenda, by changing the ruling coalition or via the institutional structure. Our hypothesis is that the Chamber o Deputies' legislative production has undergone a neutralization process, without puts increasingly meaningless and complementary to the executive's, due to institutional features that ensure control of the legislative process by the executive branch. Thus, we believe that during the period the projects are increasingly characterized for having neutral effects and honorary themes, next to a national coverage due to the country's proportional electoral system and high magnitude. We will compile Ordinary and Supplementary Bills approved in the period concerned, proposed by Deputies in the Chamber, according to the four legislative periods (50, 51, 52 and 53) and compare their characteristics in order to verify variations or regularities. We will also analyze the PSDB and PT programs in the periods in which they controlled the post of president besides the compositions of the ruling coalition, in contrast to the compiled characteristics, so we can observe evidence of any effect on the characteristics of legislative production and finally analyze them in accordance with the institutional factors raised by the literature. (AU)