Are Governance Modes Alike? An Analysis Based on Bureaucratic Relationships and Skills

This paper explores how diverse governance modes can be and how they require different bureaucratic capabilities. We test two main hypotheses: different policy sectors require particular governance modes, and different governance modes operate with distinct bureaucratic skills. The inquiry uses a survey applied to over three thousand civil servants of the Brazilian government that covered these two dimensions of the bureaucracy’s performance: relationships and skills. The paper’s findings confirmed both hypotheses. The analysis showed that infrastructure and productive development sectors relate more with the private sector; security and citizenship with state governments; and social/environmental sectors with municipalities in a decentralized context. Regarding bureaucratic skills, they vary according to the governance modes, highlighting the core of government as the most qualified sector. In conclusion, the analysis highlights that particular institutional arrangement, policy nature, and sector dynamics must be taken for granted to understand how modes of governance are built and operated.

CAVALCANTE, P; LOTTA, G. . Are Governance Modes Alike? An Analysis Based on Bureaucratic Relationships and Skills. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (PRINT) , p. 1-16, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2021.1874983