Identifying theoretical tendencies of planning: an evaluation of the Plano Nacional de Saneamento Básico (Plansab)

Abstract

Public planning in Brazil, particularly in the basic sanitation field, has been ruled by diverse theoretical-methodological approaches, not always explicit, while an effort on the identification of matrices which structure the content of the different developed plans is relevant, once different matrices may conduct to different implications during their implementation. In this article, the Plano Nacional de Saneamento Básico (Plansab) is assessed, using, for that, an assessment model in which it is aimed to identify the principles underlying the plan elaboration, comparing them with the values defended by six planning schools, prevailing currently. Four analytical categories were prioritized: methodology, diagnosis, society participation, and future vision. The comparison has allowed the evaluation of the coherence between the principles which directed the initial planning proposal and the ones which were really undertaken in each of the elaboration phases, showing alignment of the plan with lines of thought that advocate participative process, strategic view and future view capable of dealing with uncertainties.