Fundo público e políticas urbanas no Brasil: determinantes do financiamento e dos gastos públicos no Maranhão (2009-2018).

Abstract

The thesis treats the relationship between the public fund and urban policies, based on the assumption that public policies cannot be conceived apart from the structural determinants of capitalism or without understanding the legal-institutional constraints built by society throughout its history. The study is an analysis of public policies, focusing on examining the constitutive features of financing and spending in sectorial housing, sanitation and urban planning policies carried out by the state of Maranhão in the period from 2009 to 2018. The investigation involved a bibliographical, documentary research and data analysis research, aiming to: problematize the structural aspects of the public fund and urban policies in the context of capitalism; examine the conformation of the public fund and urban policies in Brazil; analyze the legal-institutional aspects of Brazilian federalism and its relationship with urban policies; systematize the main characteristics of public revenues and expenditures in Brazil; investigate the main sources of income and expenses incurred by the Maranhão state government; and analyze financing and spending on housing, sanitation and urban planning policies in the state. The data used in the analysis of financing and spending in Maranhão were extracted from the state's official budgetary and financial management systems and provided by the State Secretariat for Planning and Budget. The results of the research show that the retrenchment of welfare regimes implied a decline in the financing of social policies by the State, including those of an urban nature, worldwide. In Brazil, the lack of institutionalized guarantees and specific financing structures contribute decisively to the context of low investments in urban policies. In Maranhão, the analysis showed the low volume of resources invested in actions in housing, sanitation and urban infrastructure, which occupy a marginal place on the state agenda despite the high housing deficit and the poor conditions of housing, infrastructure and basic sanitation existing in the state. In addition, the data suggests a disarticulation of these policies, as these areas are managed by different institutions. With regard to sources of funds, the importance of transfers of federal resources and the Maranhense Fund to Combat Poverty in the housing area, the resources resulting from tariffs in the area of basic sanitation, and the own resources of the state treasury were identified in the area of urban infrastructure. With regard to the destination of spending, the primacy of urban housing over rural housing was observed, despite the fact that the state's housing deficit is greater in rural areas. In the area of basic sanitation, water supply services occupy a central place, while investments in sewage services are extremely low. In the area of urbanism, the highlights are the actions related to the implantation and paving of urban roads, mainly in electoral years. The research also concluded that the federal sphere has an important influence on urban policies. In the housing area, the Union's influence occurs through government transfers, which constitute a relevant source of resources in this sector. In the area of urban infrastructure, the influence of the federal sphere is observed based on constitutional rules and federal legislation, which allow it to establish and control the limits of indebtedness of subnational entities. In the area of basic sanitation, the influence of the central power was observed through the regulation of the financing of public health actions and services, which negatively affected actions in the sanitation area, notably in the rural area.