O Leviatã como uma cura parcial? Oportunidades e armadilhas no uso do aparato estatal para responder à crise da COVID-19

Abstract

While some argue that market forces are imperative to stimulate the increased supply of critical products and services to address the COVID-19 crisis, others contend that dealing with the pandemic requires coordination and rapid adjustments in supply that may be constrained by a host of factors. Although discussions have centered on policies to promote financial liquidity, we examine whether the state apparatus-not only state-owned enterprises but also development agencies and investment funds-can innovate and adjust production processes to improve infrastructure and capabilities to prevent and treat the disease. Potential actions include public-private effort addressing both discovery and coordination problems-such as a collaborative effort to develop prevention and treatment technologies, as well as state capital to stimulate retooling and expansion of strategic infrastructure. The state apparatus can also help access remote and critical areas with relatively lower private returns. In contrast, support to industries must be implemented with caution, especially for sectors whose demand may suffer permanently due to lifestyle changes. Exit strategies must be carefully crafted to avoid the risk of perpetuating unjustified and ineffective state support, establishing milestones and termination clauses based on clear performance indicators. We argue that, although using the state apparatus as a countermeasure entails a set of risks, not using it may increase the risk of extending the crisis and end with an overloaded state sector (e.g., due to massive bailouts), challenging the implementation of subsequent adjustments.

Os impactos da pandemia de Covid-19 em pequenas e médias empresas do Rio de Janeiro

“…These findings underscore the critical role of public support policies for the survival of Brazilian SMEs (Araújo, 2022;Lazzarini & Musacchio, 2020), which was also highlighted in the international literature (Amitrano et al, 2020;Bartik et al, 2020;IMF, 2021;Juergensen et al, 2020;OECD, 2021).…”

“…In an effort to alleviate the economic consequences of the pandemic, many countries implemented policies to support individuals and businesses (Amitrano et al, 2020;Araújo, 2022;Chit et al, 2023;IMF, 2021;Juergensen et al, 2020;OECD, 2021). In the case of Brazil, it was no different (Araújo, 2022;Lazzarini & Musacchio, 2020). Beyond citizen-focused support like the emergency aid, the Brazilian federal government implemented several measures targeting companies, particularly SMEs.…”

“…The Brazilian government implemented various public policies, including provisional measures and resolutions, to aid companies affected by the pandemic, with a particular focus on micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, as advocated by Lazzarini and Musacchio (2020). Every participating company embraced at least one public policy, which proved pivotal for their survival.…”

Ações dos Tribunais de Contas no enfrentamento dos efeitos do coronavírus

“…Esta pesquisa se justifica pelo fato de o enfrentamento à crise exigir ações massivas que não são economicamente atrativas aos agentes privados ou por restrições de mercado que dependem da atuação do Estado (Lazzarini & Musacchio, 2020). Um grande problema demanda um grande volume de recursos, o que amplia os riscos de mau uso e requer um controle efetivo para mitigá-los.…”

Actions by the Courts of Accounts to minimize effects of coronavirus

“…This research is justified by the fact that facing the crisis requires massive actions that are not economically attractive to private agents or because of market restrictions that depend on the State's action (Lazzarini & Musacchio, 2020). A major problem requires a large amounts of resources, which increases the risks of misuse and requires effective control to mitigate them.…”