Work

Resisting Democratic Backsliding From Within the State: Environmental Politics in Bolsonaro's Brazil

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT This article explores how polycentric governance systems can facilitate resistance to democratic erosion from within the state, bridging two lines of research: polycentricity and democratic backsliding. Such resistance materializes through three key mechanisms within polycentric arrangements: decentralized political discretion, bureaucratic autonomy, and institutional capacity. In conducting a critical event analysis of environmental politics in Brazil, we analyze the actions of the Brazilian Central Bank, the Supreme Court, and a consortium of Amazonian governors. Although these entities do not have specific environmental mandates, their varying degrees of discretion, autonomy, and capacity enabled them to resist antidemocratic measures targeting environmental policies while fragmenting authoritarian presidential power. By examining how the combination of these three elements influenced the levels of resistance to democratic backsliding in Brazil, our findings illuminate both the challenges and promises of polycentric governance systems in promoting democratic deliberation in policy‐making within democracies under threat.

Source: Policy Studies Journal

DOI: 10.1111/psj.70101

Authors: Vitor M. Dias, Mario G. Schapiro

Institutions: Butler University, Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University, Escola de Direito de São Paulo da Fundação Getulio Vargas

Language: English

Topic: Politics and Society in Latin America

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: University of Notre Dame