Between Typologies and Evidence: Characterizing Executive–Legislative Relations in Acre

Abstract

Abstract Research on subnational policy decision-making has revealed important institutional differences across Brazilian states. Yet these dynamics remain relatively understudied in Brazilian political science, where several federative units continue to be underrepresented. This research note examines Executive–Legislative relations in the state of Acre through the lens of theoretical typologies of interbranch interaction. The analysis covers 3,052 bills introduced between 2007 and 2022 across four legislative terms. Random-effects logistic regression models (GLMMs) are used to estimate the factors associated with bill approval, including ideological proximity between parties, caucus size, membership on the leadership board, affiliation with the governor’s party, and participation in electoral coalitions. The preliminary findings point to a politicized model in which party dynamics play an important role. At the same time, the results reveal institutional features associated with low levels of professionalization, institutionalization, and procedural universalism, alongside a high degree of discretion exercised by legislators holding leadership positions. The study also suggests new avenues for research on state legislatures in Brazil, particularly approaches that systematically incorporate into analytical models both the complexity of Executive–Legislative interactions and the varying degrees of professionalization among legislative assemblies.