Examining the Reform of Sao Paulo's Transportation Policy: The Rebirth of Detran.SP

ABSTRACT In recent decades, states have gone to great lengths to modernize and improve the efficiency and quality of government action. Yet, these endeavors are often only partially implemented and can be challenging, particularly at the local level. This article examines the magnitude and effects of the recent administrative reform of a subnational agency, the Transportation Department of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Drawing on the analysis of documents and interviews with stakeholders engaged in the reform and on a framework to analyze policy changes, the article compares the pre‐ and post‐reform periods, identifying the different sorts of alterations introduced to the transportation policy. Such changes have resulted in the internal reorganization of the department and a reconfiguration of the delivery of policies and of the interaction between the agency and citizens. The article advances theoretical debates by applying Howlett and Cashore's framework to the study of a process of policy reform involving multiple and simultaneous alterations to the state of Sao Paulo's transportation policy, contributing to a deeper understanding of reform processes in Brazil, notably at the state level.