It is the long-standing “heir” of a Keynesian approach in Brazil’s public policy, based on intense public investment for the construction of large infrastructure. But in recent years, this ministry has been combining this heritage with a “soft” approach that gives room to more bottom-up regional development strategies for addressing regional and social disparities. One is the National Secretariat of Hydraulic Infrastructure, dealing mainly with large irrigation projects, the other is the National Secretariat for Regional Development that is involved in initiatives for fighting poverty, such as the “Water for All” programme. Important entities that are simultaneously relevant for water resources management and for the social and economic development of the country are linked to this ministry such as CODEVASF (Company for the Development of Sao Francisco and Pamafba Valleys) and the National Department of Works to Combat Droughts (Departamento Nacional de Obras Contra as Secas, DNOCS).