Abstract This research note introduces ENETRIX as an essential platform designed to document, monitor, and evaluate Brazil’s energy diplomacy. The platform provides users with crucial information derived from international energy agreements to which Brazil is a signatory. Developed by the Energy Security Studies Group (Gesene) within the Department of International Relations at the Federal University of Paraíba, ENETRIX serves as a strategic tool for promoting international energy cooperation. This article explores the platform’s potential as a vehicle for data diplomacy, aimed at strengthening global energy partnerships. The article also seeks to contextualize ENETRIX within broader discussions on data governance and state-managed repositories of international agreements. The analysis details the platform’s development process, architectural design, key functionalities, and the tangible impacts it has achieved thus far. Additionally, this exploration offers a critical analysis of the challenges and lessons learned throughout the platform’s implementation and ongoing operation.

Abstract This work reviews and discusses research approaches related to climate change and water resources, an essential area for the conservation of life and the environment. According to the global state of the art, there is an urgent need to expand sectoral statistical analyses of the impacts of climate change on water resources, especially in Brazil. A bibliometric method was applied, adopting a quantitative analytical approach. Active Learning Methodologies were also used, combining Artificial Intelligence for filtering with researcher analysis to assess the impact of studies addressing the interface between climate change and water management on national and international scientific production. The systematic review of the articles reveals a global trend toward recognizing the interaction between climate change and water resources. The studies analyzed indicate that water resource management must evolve toward an adaptive, sustainable, and collaborative approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative data and promoting effective governance.

Abstract The complex relationships between domestic factors, the armed forces, and the international system are key to analyzing any country’s defense policy. Defense spending is the most tangible product of defense policymaking. This article delves into the intricacies of those relationships by examining the correlates of the defense burden in a pre-democratic period in Brazil, where the democratically informed guns-versus-butter trade-off was not a central concern for policymakers because there was no national mass-based political party. Leveraging an original dataset created through meticulous historiographical research and employing time series analysis techniques, we investigate the factors shaping Brazil’s military expenditures in 1822-1945. This is the first study of its kind looking into the Brazilian case for this period. Our findings indicate that political instability often led governments to increase military funding. Yet, levels of electoral democracy, greater military political power, and military-generated political crises were not systematically associated with defense spending, challenging conventional hypotheses. Finally, the article provides systematic quantitative evidence on the negative association between defense spending and Brazil’s freeriding on the US security umbrella throughout the first half of the 20th century.

This study examines Brazilian female legislators’ perceptions of gendered political violence by analyzing responses from 61 female federal deputies and 12 female senators (representing 81% of female legislators in office during the 56th legislature) to a self-administered questionnaire on the subject. The data indicate that gendered political violence affects a significant majority of these legislators, with 81% of respondents reporting firsthand experiences. For 90% of the interviewees, this violence discourages women from participating in politics, and according to 78%, it impacts women’s electoral outcomes. Among the legislators who reported experiencing gendered political violence, 62% indicated that it took place within the premises of the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate, and 36.2% within their political parties. Additionally, 54.7% stated that this violence undermines their ability to carry out their mandates effectively. The data indicate that violence against women in the National Congress is systematic, infringes on their rights, compromises their ability to fulfill their mandates, and negatively affects their lives.

This article examines the effect of democratic attitudes on voting in 2022. Our hypothesis is that the rising prominence of the topic of democracy in politics and in the public debate, starting in 2013 and becoming more pronounced after 2018, resulted in a division of the electorate into two camps based on their varying degrees of support for democratic principles — something not observed in earlier elections. To test this hypothesis, we utilized two surveys: the 2010 AmericasBarometer and the 2023 Clivagens Políticas no Brasil. The overall result shows that democratic attitudes — such as support for voting as a method for selecting who governs, the separation of powers, political participation, the rule of law, and minority rights — played a more significant role in explaining the vote for president in 2022 than they did in 2010. More than that, we identified a dominant pattern: except for political participation, there is a positive relationship between democratic attitudes and the vote for Lula.

What challenges are posed for building analytical frameworks and empirical studies on regional integration processes in the South? The authors aim to contribute to this debate by producing a detailed empirical analysis of Brazil's foreign policy regarding the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and South American regional integration. From a theoretical-methodological standpoint, the authors introduce an important innovation in this work, with a multilevel analysis of the Mercosur regional integration process, looking into the domestic, regional, and systemic levels. The foundations of this broad analysis are introduced in the first chapter (Introduction), in which they engage in a dialogue with different branches of Political Science and International Relations literature to point out the multifaceted character of the book's analytical framework. As the authors recognize the complex interconnection between how national and international factors influence Brazilian foreign policy and help to understand Mercosur's history, the structure of the book is based on two interrelated analytical dimensions. The first dimension, addressed in chapters 2 and 3, is related to ideas; the second dimension, addressed in chapters 4 through 7, discusses behavior and agency of political and economic interests.

This study examines the link between policy dismantling and democratic backsliding through a comprehensive analytical framework. This framework not only addresses dismantling strategies but also assesses resilience mechanisms, covering aspects like new policy implementation arrangements, diversification of governance, involvement of non-state actors, and the creation of alternative forums. Applying this framework, the study examines three food and nutritional security programs using qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Findings highlight significant impacts of dismantling on initiatives started during the Workers' Party administrations, especially affecting the Food Acquisition and the Cisterns Programs that heavily involve civil society in their operations. In contrast, the National School Feeding Program showed resilience, supported by established subsystems and a federative pact. The Cisterns Program's resilience, underpinned by effective mobilization of beneficiaries and civil society organizations, also stands out, illustrating the importance of community involvement in counteracting policy dismantling.