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This article analyzes paths and patterns of partisan appointments among sector-categories in the executive branch of Brazil from 1986 to 2016. The analysis sought to understand nuances of partisan appointments for ministries in different periods taking into consideration different presidential styles and government coalitions. We applied both qualitative and quantitative research methods and used techniques of document analysis and database construction. The methods also included a complementary discussion from recent researches on partisan ministry preferences. By analyzing partisan appointments among sector-categories, we observed two different patterns. Marked by the existence of smaller coalitions, the partisan appointments in the first period were sparse, except for the Sarney administration. The coalitions were broader in the second period, especially during the Lula and Dilma administrations, when we also observed the appearance of a structural expansion strategy. Bearing in mind the number of ministries headed by the Worker's Party (PT), we claim this strategy allowed the political party of the president to dominate both the social and government sectors. In the party-by-party analysis, Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) stands out for its inclusion in all the administrations but it is still more concentrated in infrastructure ministries.

Ministries are government structures that are located at the intersection between cycles of public policies, political party relations and the organizational design of direct public administration. Despite their relevance, the trajectory of the ministries over time is poorly understood, with an explanatory gap persisting as to the factors that lead to the creation, stability, transformation and extinction of these structures. Faced with this gap, this Discussion Paper sought to address the following central question: is there an underlying pattern to the trajectory of ministerial structures in different countries? To this end, a comparative analysis of the trajectories of ministries pertaining to 21 countries over a period of thirty years (1990-2020) was undertaken, with the aim of capturing convergent and divergent dynamics in view of the political systems of the countries studied and the thematic areas of the ministries. Preliminary findings indicate that ministries are strongly prone to stability regardless of the political system of the country in question, while changes in competence are the most frequent category of transformation. In addition, the longest running ministries are those with thematic areas related to the structuring activities of the State, such as justice and foreign affairs