Análise comparada da atuação internacional de governos subnacionais em sistemas federativos e unitários: os casos de Goiás e Hebei

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the paradiplomatic actions of subnational governments in federative and unitary States, evaluating them through the study of the relationship between the Brazilian state of Goiás and the Chinese province of Hebei. The importance of this study is to understand the expressions of paradiplomacy within different political organizations. The research evaluated the twenty-five-year partnership between Goiás and Hebei from 1999 to 2025 and developed a case study using the lens of rational choice institutionalism to address institutionalization as the creation of mechanisms that mediate interaction among actors. The methodology consisted of a literature review, grounding the concepts of paradiplomacy, federalism, and the unitary state, as well as content analysis, documentary research, and the collection of journalistic data. The research concludes that paradiplomacy occurs regardless of the form of government, but that the state’s political organization operates by influencing the autonomy and degree of institutionalization of subnational international activities. It also concludes that the relationship between Goiás and Hebei manifests itself through functional convergence, in which the entities converge despite distinctions in political organization and levels of autonomy, in favor of their regional development interests.

This study aimed to understand the paradiplomatic actions of subnational governments in federative and unitary States, evaluating them through the study of the relationship between the Brazilian state of Goiás and the Chinese province of Hebei. The importance of this study is to understand the expressions of paradiplomacy within different political organizations. The research evaluated the twenty-five-year partnership between Goiás and Hebei from 1999 to 2025 and developed a case study using the lens of rational choice institutionalism to address institutionalization as the creation of mechanisms that mediate interaction among actors. The methodology consisted of a literature review, grounding the concepts of paradiplomacy, federalism, and the unitary state, as well as content analysis, documentary research, and the collection of journalistic data. The research concludes that paradiplomacy occurs regardless of the form of government, but that the state’s political organization operates by influencing the autonomy and degree of institutionalization of subnational international activities. It also concludes that the relationship between Goiás and Hebei manifests itself through functional convergence, in which the entities converge despite distinctions in political organization and levels of autonomy, in favor of their regional development interests.