According to existing literature on public policy, the decentralization of social policies within federative contexts should promote the compatibility of the autonomy of federal entities with the need for political coordination toward the fulfillment of common goals. In the case of welfare assistance in Brazil, there is the additional challenge of building a proper field for state intervention capable of moving beyond clientelism, philanthropy and institutional fragmentation. This paper seeks an understanding of the role of institutional arrangements and the induction promoted by central governments in the recent municipalization of welfare assistance in the state of Minas Gerais, focusing on two initiatives: preparing municipalities to deal with the Sistema Único de Assistência Social (Unified System of Social Assistance - SUAS) and the implementation of the Centros de Referência da Assistência Social (Centers of Reference of Social Assistance - CRAS). Our research was based on administrative records and on official reports and publications, interviews with technicians in the field and a series of secondary data. Our major conclusions maintain that the formal rules of and commitment to decentralization at federal and state levels were relevant in explaining the scope and format of SUAS implementation in Minas Gerais, a process that is still underway at present.
Implementation of Social Policies; Federalism; Governmental Relations; Decentralization Social Welfare; SUAS
