Do crescimento econômico ao desenvolvimento sustentável: interfaces e desafios do compromisso da gestão pública municipal para a consecução dos Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável – ODS

Abstract

For a long time, the debate between the classical and neoclassical approaches considered economic growth as synonymous with development. However, from the 1960s onwards, and especially in the 1970s, there was a paradigm shift that culminated in the 1990s in a new conception of development, with emphasis on the recognition of the crucial role of local governments. These are seen as fundamental drivers of public policies aimed at promoting sustainable development, since, at the local level, they are closer to the challenges faced, to the citizens and to the tools needed to correct or mitigate these obstacles. This context raises a series of important questions: i) What is the degree of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Brazilian municipalities? ii) What is the level of application of the fundamental mechanisms of municipal management in the areas of urban planning, sanitation, environment, public safety, education, social assistance, human rights, health, food and nutritional security, and health surveillance in Brazilian municipalities? iii) Are there significant discrepancies in the adoption of these instruments among the different federative units? iv) Do Brazilian municipalities recognize the importance of these instruments to the point of implementing them, considering that they are required by law and increase management capacity? v) Do higher levels of implementation of these basic instruments have an impact on the achievement of the SDGs proposed in the 2030 Agenda? Therefore, the main objective of this study is to analyze the commitment of Brazilian municipalities to the achievement of the SDGs, taking into account the level of implementation of the instruments aimed at managing sustainable development. To achieve this objective, the following methods were used: i) creation of two consolidated indices: the Municipal Management Index (IGM) and the Sustainable Development Goals Index; ii) cluster analysis to classify municipalities according to their levels of management and sustainable development; and iii) quantile regression, a tool to investigate whether overall municipal management impacts the SDGs, and whether this impact varies when we consider the dimensions of management individually. The main results reveal that the municipal authorities, when implementing instruments that promote more efficient management, have a positive and significant impact on local sustainable development indicators.