Abstract
This article examines the role of the Legislative and Executive branches in the formulation of the Superintendency for the Development of the Northeast (Sudene) between 1959 and 1961, challenging the traditional interpretation that associates Brazilian developmentalism exclusively with the Executive technical bureaucracies. Based on a systematic analysis of legislative sources, the study shows that the National Congress played an active role in shaping the policy, imposing limits on the centralization proposed by the Executive and introducing control mechanisms, such as the requirement of legislative approval for the Master Plan and the linkage of resources to previously defined criteria. Moreover, legislators influenced budget allocation by expanding investments in sectors such as agriculture. The article concludes that developmentalism should be understood as the result of complex institutional interactions rather than as a product of the Executive alone, highlighting the importance of the Legislative in policy-making during the period.