Law and Political Economy of Eviction Processes in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area

• Grant number: 24/23016-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: October 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Raquel Rolnik
• Grantee: Vitor Rodrigues Inglez de Souza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/12851-7 - Evictions Observatory: interdisciplinary dimensions of risk in times of climate change and housing crisis, AP.TEM

Abstract

Eviction processes in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area (RMSP) are largely the result of legal actions and proceedings. However, these processes do not occur in a vacuum: disputes and conflicts involving political interests and agendas form the foundation of the public-private urban law framework governing evictions. In other words, there is a political economy underlying the legal framework of evictions. This research project is particularly focused on mapping the political forces and economic motivations that drive and shape legal decisions in administrative (urban regulation), legislative (the drafting of general urban law norms, such as master plans), and judicial domains (decisions on repossession orders, evictions, possessory disputes, expropriations, and other legal instruments). This project is dedicated to this confluence agenda, aiming to understand how eviction processes are practically carried out in the RMSP.