An analysis of the advocacy coalition framework applied to tourism policies in Florianópolis (southern Brazil)

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze whether there is a convergence of values and interests among the actors that carry out coalitions in defense of tourism in the formation of public policies in Florianópolis (Southern Brazil). The theoretical framework was based by on the advocacy coalition framework (ACF) theory, as put forward by Sabatier and Jenkins (1993) and as developed, more critically, by Schlager (1995). The research took place through a bibliographic and documentary research and semi-structured interviews with 31 local policy actors specialized in tourism policies encompassed in a qualitative single case study. Data collected was treated using Bardin’s (2010) protocol and data triangulation. The results indicated two coalitions in the city, a majority coalition formed of two sub-coalitions and an intermittent coalition – which is a sui generis finding in the ACF theory, representing a theoretical-empirical addition to the model. It was also identified that the actors’ deep core and policy core beliefs were insufficient to generate a stable coalition, suggesting the need for converging interests encouraging an greater articulation in the network, especially in the short term.

Keywords
Defense Coalitions; Tourism; Public policy