WATER GOVERNANCE IN THE STATE OF RIO DE JANEIRO: CONTRIBUTION TO THE FORMULATION OF A TRANSPARENCY INDEX

Abstract

Twenty years after the promulgation of the National Water Resources Policy, the effectiveness of water management in Brazil is a widely discussed topic, both from the perspective of management and from the aspects of governance. Despite this, there is still a need to establish conceptual boundaries between these two notions. Generally, information systems on water resources are built on sets of indicators composed of management indicators, without the concern with governance assuming a (co)protagonism position in transparency efforts. Thus, starting from systemic governance as a theoretical framework, this study aims to contribute with a proposal for a transparency index in governance. To this end, a methodological adjustment was made to the Water Management Transparency Index – INTRAG, through the review of the indicators used, the adoption of quality concepts in the transparency process and the review of the algorithmic structure of the process. As a result, the Governance Transparency Index - ITGUERJ was prepared, applied as a test for the deliberative collegiate bodies of the Water Resources Management System of the Rio de Janeiro State - State Council for Water Resources and River Basin Committees. The tests confirmed its efficiency as an index and its ability to prepare a diagnosis, based on the conceptual structure of governance, that is, analyzing transparency in all components of the deliberative process. The index proved to be practical in its implementation and easily replicable to other regions of the country.