Trajetória e padrões de mudança institucional no Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar

This text aims to analyze the political dynamics that triggered fundamental changes in the institutional trajectory of PNAE, as well as to differentiate the phases that the program has assumed in its history and the processes of change that occurred between them. In this sense, the effort expended aimed to identify the main determinants (political and economic) of the institutionalization (process of formation of normative standards) of PNAE, emphasizing its conjunctural specificities regarding the assumed intervention patterns, especially regarding financing strategies, inter-federative coordination and definition of suppliers. The systematization of the information allowed us to characterize four very remarkable phases in the development of the program since the 1950s, when the theme entered the federal agenda. The institutional changes that took place followed an incremental trajectory, associated with endogenous and exogenous factors that affected their regulatory dynamics. The theoretical support of historical institutionalism allowed a refinement of the analytical framework of the processes of change between each of the indicated phases.