A chronology of state institutional behavior in the cachaça market

analyses from a historical institutionalism perspective

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the historical trajectory of the Brazilian State’s institutional conduct toward the cachaça market, identifying inflection points, continuities, and ambiguities that have shaped the relationship between public authority and the productive sector over time. Grounded in historical institutionalism, the study adopts a qualitative and descriptive approach, combining documentary research with semi-structured interviews conducted with artisanal producers, state representatives, and agents from sectoral organizations, totaling 24 interviews. Data were analyzed using content analysis techniques. The findings indicate that state conduct can be understood through three major historical periods: (i) from the colonial era to Independence, marked by repression, prohibitions, and strong symbolic stigmatization of the beverage; (ii) from Independence to redemocratization, characterized by social marginalization, state neglect, and the expansion of informal production; and (iii) from the late 1980s to the present, when policies of recognition, regulation, and valorization of cachaça emerge, albeit accompanied by contradictions, excessive bureaucracy, and asymmetries between formal and informal producers. The study demonstrates that the current institutional ambivalence toward cachaça is deeply rooted in historical dependencies, symbolic disputes, and structural limitations of the State. By offering a historically grounded analysis, the article provides relevant insights for the formulation of public policies better aligned with the sector’s heterogeneity and long-term institutional dynamics.