O desmantelamento ativo da política ambiental brasileira e seus efeitos na atuação dos agentes do IBAMA e do ICMBio

Abstract

This article answers the question: how have the disruptive changes undertaken by the Bolsonaro government affected the daily work of federal environmental agencies from the agents' point of view? In Brazil, the entities responsible for preventing and controlling deforestation in the Amazon are IBAMA and ICMBio. Based on a theoretical model of policy implementation, we analyze individual factors to capture the perceptions of environmental agents regarding the changes made to the policy. This article justifies the need to analyze the role of bureaucracy in the implementation of environmental policy in the face of threats of democratic backsliding promoted in Brazil by a far-right populist government. Thus, a case-oriented investigation was carried out to comparatively analyze the performance of IBAMA inspectors and ICMBio agents, who, despite similarities, have differences in relation to activities and territorial competence. The data obtained from 28 interviews with employees of the two institutions were analyzed using Systematic Content Analysis. The results show the effects of the changes in environmental policy on the agents' performance, with more intense impacts in the case of IBAMA. Empirical evidence demonstrates how the active dismantling of policies has led to the demotivation of civil servants and the weakening of bureaucratic capacities, with evident inclusion in the execution of environmental programs. The main theoretical contribution of this research is to understand how a far-right populist government can harm the performance of negotiated agents, even those committed to the public interest, and dismantle institutions consolidated over decades.