Atuação dos arranjos institucionais de governança regional no processo de formulação e implementação das políticas de turismo na região da Quarta Colônia/RS - Brasil.

Abstract

This study analyzes the role of regional governance institutional arrangements in the formulation and implementation of public tourism policies in the Quarta Colônia Region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Situated within the fields of Regional Development and Public Policy, the research adopts an institutionalist perspective, understanding institutional arrangements as formal and informal structures that shape interactions among public and private actors, influencing their capacity for coordination, cooperation, and policy implementation within territorial contexts. The study aims to examine how these institutional arrangements contribute to the formulation and implementation of regional tourism policies and to identify the factors that enhance or constrain their effectiveness. The research adopts a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach, developed through a case study. The methodological procedures included a literature review, documentary analysis, questionnaires administered to public and private managers, semi-structured interviews with regional leaders, and the triangulation of empirical and documentary data. Five regional governance institutional arrangements involved in tourism development in the Quarta Colônia Region were analyzed: the Sustainable Development Consortium of Quarta Colônia (CONDESUS), the Association of Municipalities of the Central Region (AMCENTRO), the Central Region Tourism Forum (IGR Central), the Quarta Colônia Regional Tourism Council (IGR Quarta Colônia), and the UNESCO Quarta Colônia Global Geopark. The analysis was structured around three analytical dimensions: the institutional dimension, focused on organizational design, formal rules, and coordination mechanisms; the political-relational dimension, addressing processes of articulation, cooperation, and participation among stakeholders; and the public policy effectiveness dimension, examining the capacity of institutional arrangements to influence the formulation, implementation, and outcomes of tourism policies. The findings demonstrate that institutional arrangements play a strategic role in coordinating tourism public policies and strengthening regional governance by fostering intermunicipal integration, promoting collective agendas, and mobilizing institutional resources. However, persistent challenges remain, including administrative discontinuity, political-institutional dependence, financial constraints, asymmetries in municipal participation, and the fragility of permanent mechanisms for policy coordination and monitoring. The study concludes that the effectiveness of regional governance depends not only on the existence of institutional arrangements but, above all, on strengthening their institutional capacities, enhancing cooperation among different levels of government, promoting qualified social participation, and ensuring the continuity of public policies. These elements are essential for consolidating tourism as a strategy for sustainable regional development in the Quarta Colônia Region.