Suchergebnisse

AbstractAre bureaucrats' interactions with politicians, as well as with other government and non‐government players in the policy arena, linked with the bureaucrats' policy entrepreneurship tendencies? To investigate this question, we sought to identify the factors influencing bureaucrats' willingness to engage in policy entrepreneurship. We also explored the bureaucrats' motivations for doing so in order to better understand if policy entrepreneurship among bureaucrats is a desirable phenomenon. Using national survey data from Brazil, our findings indicate that politician–bureaucrat interactions have a positive relationship with bureaucrats' perceptions about policy entrepreneurship. In addition, there is a positive association between bureaucrats' motivations for engaging in policy entrepreneurship and their social values.

Resumo: A ascensão de lideranças autoritárias de extrema direita nas democracias contemporâneas catalisou processos de retrocesso democrático com profundas e diversas implicações políticas. Uma das dimensões menos exploradas desse fenômeno é o impacto das ações desses líderes políticos no funcionamento das burocracias públicas. Nesse sentido, a questão que orienta nossa análise é: como se dá a dinâmica entre controle político e reações burocráticas em contextos de retrocesso democrático? A análise se baseia em 165 entrevistas com burocratas de médio escalão entre dezembro de 2020 e julho de 2021 em 15 organizações diferentes das áreas social, econômica, ambiental e de planejamento do governo federal brasileiro durante o governo Bolsonaro. Os achados sugerem que o controle político e a reação burocrática estabelecem uma dinâmica que envolve interações e um processo de aprendizagem ao longo do tempo.

Abstract
The legitimacy of democracy and civil rights is based upon laws and administrative procedures. The presence of a legal framework and its application by bureaucrats in their daily decisions are prerequisites for the democratic rule of law. This explains why, in contexts of democratic backsliding, legal frameworks are under attack. Scholars observed the role of public administration in processes of democratic backsliding, but there is still a gap in understanding the disputes around the legal framework. Here, we analyze the conflicts between politicians and bureaucrats around the legal framework in a context of democratic backsliding. Analyzing the case of Brazil under Bolsonaro's Government, we draw on 164 interviews with bureaucrats to understand how both bureaucrats and politicians dispute the legitimacy, uses, and interpretations of the legal framework to attack or protect democratic institutions and civil rights. On one side, bureaucrats defend themselves and their legitimacy through existing rules and procedures. On the other side, politicians change or reinterpret the rules to fragilize bureaucrats' decisions. In this process, both politicians and bureaucrats learn how to improve their strategies around the uses of legal frameworks. These findings contribute to understanding how the dynamics around the legal framework explain processes of democratic backsliding.

AbstractWhat are the differences between policy entrepreneurship and street‐level policy entrepreneurship? The research on street‐level policy entrepreneurship is still in its infancy, yet in the past few years, it has received greater research attention. This article systematically reviews the current research published on this topic and compares it to previous findings on policy entrepreneurs. Our findings provide an analysis of street‐level policy entrepreneurs' characteristics, motivations, traits, and strategies, differentiating types of street‐level bureaucrats (SLBs). We also find three new strategies unique to SLBs: consistency over time, learning from others, and seeking legitimacy. We conclude by identifying the main differences between traditional entrepreneurs and street‐level entrepreneurs and providing suggestions for further research.

Abstract: Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic requires that the State make hard decisions that involve the action of bureaucrats who interact with the population through the implementation of public policy, the street-level bureaucracy (SLB). In this paper, based on a mixed- method exploratory study, we analyze how the daily performance of street-level bureaucrats in different policy areas- health and social care, access to the justice system, public security and education - has changed during the pandemic. We also explore the repercussions of those changes. Based on the analysis of the perceptions of bureaucrats, changes in their work and in their relationship with the public, we identify three categories that illustrate the dynamics of SLB work during the pandemic: the SLB who faces the crisis on the front lines; the SLB who suffers the effects of the pandemic, but whose work does not require her to face it directly; and the SLB who began to work remotely. We conclude that, during the pandemic, SLB suffered in varying degrees an aggravation of structural problems, such as their removal from decision-making processes - now restricted to the highest government level - and the exacerbation of already existing conflicts and ambiguities.

O enfrentamento da pandemia de Covid-19 exige que o Estado tome decisões difíceis que perpassam a ação da burocracia que implementa políticas públicas na interação com a população, a burocracia de nível de rua (BNR). Neste artigo, baseado em estudo exploratório de método misto, analisamos como a atuação cotidiana desses burocratas em diferentes políticas públicas - saúde, assistência social, acesso à justiça, segurança pública e educação - foi alterada durante a pandemia, bem como analisamos as suas consequências. Três categorias que ilustram a dinâmica do trabalho da BNR durante a pandemia foram identificadas por análise dos sentimentos dos burocratas, mudanças no seu trabalho e na relação com a população: a BNR que enfrenta a crise na linha de frente; a BNR que sofre os efeitos da pandemia, mas cujo trabalho não demanda enfrentá-la diretamente; e a BNR cujo trabalho migrou para o formato remoto. Concluímos que, durante a pandemia, a BNR, em diferentes graus, deparou-se com um agravamento de problemas estruturais, como o seu alijamento dos processos decisórios, restritos ao alto escalão governamental, e a exacerbação de conflitos e ambiguidades já existentes. ; Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic requires that the State make hard decisions that involve the action of bureaucrats who interact with the population through the implementation of public policy, the street-level bureaucracy (SLB). In this paper, based on a mixed- method exploratory study, we analyze how the daily performance of street-level bureaucrats in different policy areas- health and social care, access to the justice system, public security and education - has changed during the pandemic. We also explore the repercussions of those changes. Based on the analysis of the perceptions of bureaucrats, changes in their work and in their relationship with the public, we identify three categories that illustrate the dynamics of SLB work during the pandemic: the SLB who faces the crisis on the front lines; the SLB who suffers the effects of the pandemic, but whose work does not require her to face it directly; and the SLB who began to work remotely. We conclude that, during the pandemic, SLB suffered in varying degrees an aggravation of structural problems, such as their removal from decision-making processes - now restricted to the highest government level - and the exacerbation of already existing conflicts and ambiguities. ; Hacer frente a la pandemia de Covid-19 requiere que el Estado tome decisiones difíciles que van más allá de la acción de la burocracia que implementa las políticas públicas en la interacción con la población, la burocracia de primera línea (BPL). En este artículo, a partir de un estudio exploratorio de método mixto, analizamos cómo el desempeño diario de estos burócratas en diferentes políticas públicas - salud, asistencia social, acceso a la justicia, seguridad pública y educación - se modificó durante la pandemia y sus consecuencias. Se identificaron tres categorías que ilustran la dinámica del trabajo de BNR durante la pandemia, analizando los sentimientos de los burócratas, los cambios en su trabajo y en la relación con la población: la BPL que enfrenta la crisis en primera línea; la BPL que sufre los efectos de la pandemia, pero cuyo trabajo no exige enfrentarla directamente; y la BPL cuyo trabajo migró al formato remoto. Concluimos que, durante la pandemia, la BPL, en diferentes grados, enfrentó un agravamiento de problemas estructurales, como su remoción de los procesos de toma de decisiones, restringida al más alto nivel de gobierno, y la exacerbación de conflictos y ambigüedades ya existentes.