Diffusion of Good Government - Social Sector Reforms in Brazil (Paperback)

One of the most fundamental questions for social scientists involves diffusion events; simply put, how do ideas spread and why do people embrace them? In Diffusion of Good Government: Social Sector Reforms in Brazil, Natasha Borges Sugiyama examines why innovations spread across political territories and what motivates politicians to adopt them. Sugiyama does so from the vantage point of Brazilian politics, a home to innovative social sector reforms intended to provide the poor with access to state resources. Since the late 1980s, the country has undergone major policy transformations as local governments have gained political, fiscal, and administrative autonomy. For the poor and other vulnerable groups, local politics holds special importance: municipal authorities provide essential basic services necessary for their survival, including social assistance, education, and health care. Brazil, with over 5,000 municipalities with a wide variety of political cultures and degrees of poverty, thus provides ample opportunities to examine the spread of innovative programs to assist such groups. Sugiyama delves into the politics of social sector reforms by examining the motivations for emulating well-regarded programs. To uncover the mechanisms of diffusion, her analysis contrasts three paradigmatic models for how individuals choose to allocate resources: by advancing political self-interest to gain electoral victories; by pursuing their ideological commitments for social justice; or by seeking to demonstrate adherence to the professional norms of their fields. Drawing on a mixed-method approach that includes extensive field research and statistical analysis on the spread of model programs in education (especially Bolsa Escola, a school grant program) and health (Programa Saude da Familia, a family health program), she concludes that ideological convictions and professional norms were the main reasons why mayors adopted these programs, with electoral incentives playing a negligible role.

General

Imprint:	University of Notre Dame Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Kellogg Institute Series on Democracy and Development
Release date:	December 2012
First published:	2013
Authors:	Natasha Borges Sugiyama
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	286
ISBN-13:	978-0-268-04142-7
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Poverty Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social issues > Unemployment Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social welfare & social services > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political ideologies > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Central government > Central government policies Promotions
LSN:	0-268-04142-3
Barcode:	9780268041427

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