Provisional Measures and democratic stability: the usage of executive orders to produce governance with a hostile legislative in Brazil

Diogo de Almeida Viana Santos; Guilherme Saldanha Santana

doi:10.18256/2238-0604.2024.v20i1.2334

Authors

Diogo de Almeida Viana Santos UEMA-Universidade Estadual do Maranhão CEUMA-PPG Direito e Afirmação de Vulneráveis http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2235-9295
Guilherme Saldanha Santana Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6962-8646

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18256/2238-0604.2024.v20i1.2334

Keywords:

Provisional measures, democratization, legitimacy, legislative activity, Executive branch

Abstract

This paper’s objective is to examine how presidential emergency decrees (provisional measures) served as a policy-making instrument to implement successful economic policies in Brazil, thus helping legitimizing the Brazilian democratizing regime. The use of provisional measures in large scale is measured and analyzed. Economic crisis in the 1970s ended the Brazilian military regime. The inability of the democratic regime to solve the crisis in the 1980s put at risk the continuation of the Brazilian democratization. How could the Brazilian democracy enjoy relative stability, in light of fierce economic crisis? This paper argues that the solution came through the use of provisional measures to implement effective economic policy. Still, the presidential legislative activity may have a negative impact in the consolidation of democratic practices and institutions. As the legitimacy of democracy became associated with the president’s success in promoting economic development, the Brazilian population started perceiving Congress as unnecessary for their welfare. Detailed data on the use of provisional measures in Brazil since the beginning of the democratic transition demonstrate that provisional measures’ bypassing the parliament to systematically manage the federal budget and taxation has saved the Brazilian democratization and may in the longer term jeopardize it.

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Author Biographies

Diogo de Almeida Viana Santos, UEMA-Universidade Estadual do Maranhão CEUMA-PPG Direito e Afirmação de Vulneráveis

Possui doutorado PhD em International Cooperation--Governance and Law - Universidade de Nagoya-Japão (2010), mestrado em LL.M. Comparative Law - Universidade de Nagoya-Japão (2007), graduação em Direito Bacharelado pela Universidade Federal do Maranhão (2003). Atualmente é professor de Direito Econômico, Direito Internacional Público e Direito Econômico - Unidade de Ensino Superior Dom Bosco. Foi Diretor do curso de Direito Bacharelado da Universidade Estadual do Maranhão. Tem experiência nas áreas de Direito Internacional Público e Ciência Política, com ênfase em Comportamento Legislativo, atuando principalmente nos seguintes temas: Direito Internacional, Teoria Constitucional, Federação, Propriedade Intelectual, e Responsabilidade Internacional.
Guilherme Saldanha Santana, Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa

Professor da Rede Pública do Estado do MA. Advogado. Graduado em Direito Bacharelado pela Universidade CEUMA. Graduado em História Licenciatura pela Universidade Estadual do Maranhão. Pós-Graduado em Relações Internacionais pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais. Mestrando em Ciências Jurídicas na Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa. Doutorando em Ciências Jurídicas na Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa. Mestre em Direito e Afirmação de Vulneráveis na Universidade CEUMA. Presidente da Comissão de Tecnologia e Informação da OAB/MA. Membro da New York State Political Science Association

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