Research Report : Quantitative Research on the Determinants of Approval Time in Permit Applications for High Environmental Impact Works [Relatório de Pesquisa: Pesquisa Quantitativa dos Determinantes dos Prazos de Deferimento em Pedidos de Licenciamento de Obras de Alto Impacto Ambiental]

This report presents the results of a research on the determinants of the time to obtain a permit for high environmental impact projects. We examine permit requests in Brazil for the 2011-2013 period using survival analysis models and non-parametric descriptive techniques. The results show that, contrary to the common sense from the period, there were few environmental permit requests filed and they tend to be granted in short period. A quarter of the permits were granted before a six months period, whereas half of them were granted in up to a year. Time to have the permit granted was shorter in Brazilian states where environmental regulation and governance included more independent regulatory bodies and where there were more transparency mechanisms