Conflicts between state and civil society related to infrastructure projects

Abstract

Infrastructure projects often present a conundrum in that projects are simultaneously nationally beneficial and harmful to particular locations (Altshuler and Luberoff, 2003). They are critical for long-term national development needs: building and upgrading electricity generation plants, roads, ports, and many other similar projects facilitate expanded economic activities of many kinds. At the same time, each of those projects must be sited (localizada) in a particular place. In those locations, the project may bring significant impacts for the local community and/or for local ecosystems, many of them negative. In this paper, the author evaluates how Brazilian environmental licensing works in practice as an institutional mechanism for resolving state conflicts with civil society over infrastructure projects. One important section will assess how often and why such conflicts have actually occurred in recent electricity projects in Brazil. These are less common than often believed, but can be stressful for communities and project proponents alike. The paper will also present an analysis of the conflicts themselves, highlighting the grievances and influence strategies of civil society actors. In addition to providing this overview of recent conflicts, the paper will also consider actual or potential proposals for alternative regulatory approaches. The paper will assess the likely effects that recent changes in environmental licensing – notably the 2014 CONAMA regulations for wind power projects and the proposed changes in PLS 654 – will have on conflicts with civil society over infrastructure projects. In addition, the paper will place the Brazilian institution and regulations in comparative context, with the aim of showing alternative policy frameworks for achieving similar aims.