Abstract:

With the recent economic crisis in Brazil, many local authorities found it difficult to balance their budgets, pay employees’ salaries and make payment to suppliers. Curitiba, a local authority in the south of Brazil, faced similar problems in this period. This study analyses two electoral cycles that coincided with the national crisis. The aim is to analyse whether the Curitiba’s Financial Recovery Plan, launched to contain the increasing imbalance of municipal finance, had a positive impact. The measures sought to raise municipal income from taxes, contain expanding expenditure on staff and consider the civil servant welfare system. Measures to raise income were positive, although coinciding with a period of national economic recovery. Those to restrain the growth of payments were found to be effective. The welfare question will need a longer period of analysis before drawing more definite conclusions.