Government discontinuity and public administration in Tocantins: institutional, administrative, and economic impacts of state political instability

Abstract

This article analyzes the impacts of recurrent political-institutional instability in the State of Tocantins on public management, with emphasis on administrative discontinuity, the weakening of governmental planning, and the institutional, legal, and economic effects resulting from successive ruptures in the command of the Executive Branch. It is based on the understanding that the democratic alternation of governments, although legitimate within the republican system, becomes problematic when marked by dismissals, annulments of mandates, recurrent judicialization, and extraordinary leadership reconfigurations capable of compromising administrative predictability and the continuity of public policies. The study aims to examine, from a theoretical-legal and institutional perspective, how this scenario affects the efficiency of public management, institutional security, and the realization of the public interest. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative, exploratory, and analytical approach, developed through bibliographic review and documentary analysis, based on legal-administrative doctrine, specialized literature on public management and governance, normative documents, judicial decisions, and public records. The findings indicate that the recurrence of governmental ruptures in Tocantins compromises administrative coherence, hinders the consolidation of public policies, strains constitutional principles of Public Administration, and weakens the institutional trust necessary for the proper functioning of the State. It concludes that institutional stability constitutes a relevant condition for preserving public governance, administrative continuity, and state capacity in subnational contexts marked by high political sensitivity.