Governança e concessão de serviços de saneamento : estudo de caso no município de Santa Rita/PB

Abstract

Basic sanitation is a fundamental pillar of public policies aimed at ensuring human dignity and socio-environmental justice. In Brazil—historically marked by regional inequalities and limited coverage of water supply and sewage services—the sector has undergone significant legal reforms, particularly following the enactment of Law No. 14.026/2020, which established the New Sanitation Legal Framework. Within this context, this dissertation aims to examine the characteristics and outcomes of the public governance model implemented in the municipality of Santa Rita, Paraíba, after the concession of water supply and sewage services to the private sector. The research adopts a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach, using a case study design as outlined by Yin (2016) and Creswell (2014, 2021), and drawing on multiple sources of evidence. Data collection involved bibliographic research, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews with public managers linked to the municipal government, CAGEPA, and the private operator Águas do Nordeste, as well as representatives of civil society. Data analysis was conducted using Bardin’s (2016) content analysis technique and guided by the analytical categories proposed by Pedrotti and Dornfeld (2023), namely: institutional environment, regulation, service provision, financing, information systems, social control, integrity and transparency, and inter-institutional coordination. The theoretical framework integrates discussions on public governance, service concessions, neoliberalism, neodevelopmentalism, the role of the state, and the marketization of public policies, understanding sanitation as a social right and a strategic field of state action. The analysis indicates that the effectiveness of sanitation policy depends on strengthening institutional arrangements and consolidating governance practices capable of balancing private-sector participation with the State’s regulatory role. This study thus contributes to expanding the understanding of contemporary challenges in public sanitation governance, particularly in municipal contexts seeking to reconcile efficiency, social accountability, and the universal guarantee of the rights to water and sewage services.