Budget analysis of the ‘Brazil Quilombola Program’ in the state of Maranhão and nationwide: the decline of a public policy

Abstract One milestone of the public policies directed to the Quilombola communities in Brazil was the launch of the ‘Brazil Quilombola Program’ (PBQ) and its institutionalization with the ‘Quilombola Social Agenda’. The objective of this article is to analyze the budgetary allocation of the ‘Brazil Quilombola Program’ and its relation with the implementation of public policies in Brazil and the state of Maranhão. The methodology was based on data analysis of the Brazilian Law of Budgetary Guidelines for the period 2004 to 2014, and on documentary analysis. The budget data was obtained from the online portal ‘Siga Brasil’ of the Federal Senate, which compiles data from the Federal Government’s Integrated System of Financial Administration (Siafi). Documentary analyzes were carried out in the State Plan for Integrated Actions of the Brazil Quilombola Plan in Maranhão and in the Report on the Implementation of the Brazil Quilombola Plan in Maranhão. The data gathered led to the conclusion that the Brazil Quilombola Program operated as a governance device that symbolically included Quilombola communities, apparently meeting demands of social movements. However, in practice, it effectively excluded them, because of the budget’s regulation. In addition, it was noted the decline, at least in terms of budget, of public policies with racial cut in the country within the federal government.