Public administration in Brazil: exhaustion and reinvigoration of the model

Abstract

Centralization of Brazilian public administration has been frequently considered as a bureaucratic pathology. The authors of this artic1e contend that - far from pathology - centralization was a crucial component of the socio-economic modernization strategy that was adopted in Brazil after 1930. This strategy elected the public sector as the major socio-political and entrepreneurial force in the country; it was on1y natural that together with a strong state, a powerful public bureaucracy and a powerful set of publicly-owned companies would be created.

After displaying great effectiveness for many years, the Brazilian centra1ized public administration model shows increasing signs of exhaustion. At this point, the model has become disfunctional and pathological. Its exhaustion is due to the new realities of an era of limits (biophysical, managerial, political etc.) which impose a new perspective for the issues of efficiency and effectiveness of public policies and programs.

The authors propose that a radical new model replaces the current one. That new model would be based on decentralization of power and of public programs, as well as in a significantly bigger role for the intermediary organizations (i.e. belonging to groups of organized citizens) and more flexible organizational arrangements.

To overcome the negative reactions of the existing bureaucracies and facilitate the introduction of the new model, the authors suggest a series of tactical steps and measures.