Federative pact and intergovernmental relations in Bahia

an analysis of the State Government’s actions in combating Covid-19

Abstract

The general objective of this article, based on studies on federalism and governance, is to analyze the intergovernmental relations fostered by the Government of the State of Bahia with municipalities and the governance challenges encountered in
defining actions to combat COVID-19, observing whether there was a competitive or cooperative relationship between the state government and the municipal government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Brazilian federalism is facing challenges regarding cooperation between federal entities for a greater transition of public policies. Faced with the inaction of the federal government, subnational governments were abandoned in terms of coordinating collective health actions, in addition to resisting attacks by the federal entity to remove them from the competences and prerogatives of legislating in their own
jurisdictions. In this sense, the influence of measures to combat the virus led to the analysis of the distribution of competences in the Brazilian territory, as well as the cooperative behavior of the Government of the State of Bahia, which supplied federal
infections by assuming the role of state coordinator. To carry out this analysis, the work was based on the mixed methodology, developed in three main phases: literature review on Brazilian federalism, intergovernmental relations and the concept of metropolitan governance; empirical research, through content analysis, with the purpose of mapping the State Government's actions to combat COVID-19, based on the analysis of decrees; and categorize the data gathered to characterize intergovernmental relations in Bahia. From this, a cooperative governance between the Government of Bahia and the
municipalities of Bahia was identified in order to combat COVID-19.