Multi-context mapping of the literature on enviromental policies' dismantling

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to map and systematically analyze the international literature on the dismantling of environmental policies, focusing on identifying predominant strategies, themes, and contexts to synthesize lessons and propose a research agenda. A Scoping Review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute protocol, with searches across the Scopus, SciELO, and BDTD databases, using the PCC (Problem-Concept-Context) strategy. The analysis, guided by the Policy Dismantling framework, enabled systematic categorization of the studies. The analysis of the 38 mapped documents shows a concentration of studies in the European Union, Brazil, and other contexts. In the EU, a subtle form of dismantling predominates, characterized by symbolic action (pro-dismantling discourse) and by omission (legislative stagnation and budget cuts), where institutional complexity acts as both a break and a conflict arena. In Brazil, the dismantling was blatant and multidimensional, initiated by a strong anti-environmental symbolic action and effected through active dismantling (regulatory changes), arena shifting (militarization, transfer of attributions), and omission (budgetary and enforcement cuts). The study demonstrates the plasticity of dismantling strategies, which vary across political-institutional contexts. The application of the Scoping Review proved to be an innovative tool for consolidating this field of study. The results not only synthesize the state of the art but also outline an urgent research agenda, focused on the long-term impacts, resistance strategies, and the theoretical limits of this approach in unconsolidated democracies.