This article analyzes the different ways policymakers and academia deal with public policy planning especially in developing countries, Brazil in particular. It points out that many public policy problems in developing countries are related to the way planning is carried out, as a technicist and bureaucratic activity, centralized in the hands of economists and focused on prediction models. This leads to shortcomings in the main points of the planning activity: the decision-making process, which is a social and political construction. After reviewing the history of planning in Brazil and in the world, the text argues that planning in Brazil needs less simulations and econometric models, and more precise information, transparency, ethics and common sense to accept different views, as well as a willingness to negotiate and involve the stakeholders.
planning; public policies; implementation; Brazil