Policy in the Shadowsa Typology Based on Salience, Regulation and Deregulation

Resumo

This article presents a new policy typology, based on the regulatory or deregulatory nature of the formal act instituting or changing a policy, and the salience of such initiative. The case of environmental policy in Brazil illustrates the four different types of policy resulting from crossing these dimensions. Analysis of all formal acts issued by the Brazilian federal administration in relation to environmental policy between 2019 and 2020 indicates that the pandemic in 2020 enabled a large number of regulatory acts in the shadow – that is, without any relevant media repercussion or Congressional debate related to it. While the lack of public debate in general suggests limited input to improve policy, policy making in these circumstances may also generate unequal benefits for certain economic groups, given first movers’ advantage.Dados do 1º Autor