Federalism and distributive conflicts: competition among Brazilian states for federal budgetary resources

Abstract

The article analyzes how states' representatives in the Brazilian Congress process and negotiate amendments to the federal budget on Congress' Joint Budget Committee. Amendments submitted by members of Congress from three selected States (Bahia, Ceará, and Paraná) between 1995 and 1999 are analyzed. The article challenges certain hypotheses concerning the role of amendments and argues that budgetary amendments and certain federal policies tend to accommodate tensions which arise in a federation marked by regional inequalities.

Keywords

• fédéralisme
• fédéralisme fiscal
• budget fédéral
• amendements budgétaires
• groupes de députés des États