Administrative Reforms in Modern Brazil

Public Administration ReformsUNDP Practice Meeting

Bratislava 19-22 April 2004UNDP Brazil

Public Management Advisorfrancisco.gaetani@undp.org.br

Bureaucratic Managerial

Transition to Authoritarian Regimes

1934-1937National State Building(US influence)

1964-1967Administration for Development(Peer Review!)

Transition to Democracy (a)

Macroeconomic stabilization (b)

1985-1988(a)Re-establishing Political Accountability(French influence)

1995-1998 (b)Managerial Administration(Anglo Saxon influence)

Four major constitutional reformsVariety of models and regimes

Two so-called managerial reforms(within the context of the same presidency)

• 1995-1998– Creation of a Ministry– White Paper (Constitutional

Amendment)– New Organizational Design

(agencies and social organizations)

– Flexible employment regimes (civil service and private contracts)

– Influence of NPM international ideas

– Role of an influential policy entrepreneur

– Bureaucratic positive side effects (statistics & public selections)

• 1999-2002– Piloted by the Ministry of

Planning, Budgeting and Management

– Multi-year plan + Budgeting process

– Revamping planning via combining NPM & PPBS

– Contractualization for results

– Influence of private sector ideas (TQM and Project Mg)

– Individual responsibility (performance management)

– Role played by IT systems thanks to nodality

– Strategic core of civil service careers

Public Administration in Lula’s government

• Emphasis on participatory and consultation mechanisms (e.g. public discussion of multi-year plan in 27 states)

• Concerns with join-up government (e.g. unification of conditionally income transference programs)

• Sympathetic to public sector based solutions (35 ministries) and to civil service corporative demands

• Administrative reform is not part of the presidential agenda

• Increasing concerns with Executive Coordination

Vectors in Conflict =:> Problems of Sequencing and Co-ordenation

CorporativismDemands for wagesExpansion of workforceSpecial privilegesEmphasis on Unions role

EfficiencyCost-effectivenessCost-cuttingMinimalist approachCompetitive solutions

ManagerialismContractualizationAgencificationPerformance ManagementFlexibilization (org. and personel)

ProfessionalizationPublic selectionsMerit based career systemsCivil service distinctivenessAnti-Corruption emphasis

Patronage

A note on decentralization• 1988 Constitution=> favored decentralization• Model of shared jurisdictions given country heterogeneity • Central vocation to recentralize (especially via financial

mechanisms & tax capacity)• Local authorities with serious capacity problems (but the

centre also …)• Delegation can be reversed, decentralization cannot (1967

reform was supposed to dec.)• Need to develop capacity that takes into account variable

geometry of localities• Difficulties in dealing with accountability problems related to

the transference of resources from the federal level to local level

• Municipalities are doing better than the states (lost in mediation…)

UNDP and administrative reform

• Implementing IADB programs in areas like– Modernization of the Ministry of Planning, Budgeting

and Management (previous Ministry of Administration and State Reform)

– Modernization of Finance Ministry– Modernization of States Planning and Management

Structures (negotiation)– Modernization of Local Finance Structures

(negotiation)• Via procurement transactions mainly• Fewf substantive distinctive contributions • Concern with program evaluation (!)

Current concerns at UNDP office with respect to Administrative Reform

• Focusing on strengthening executive coordination (via SIGOB/RBLAC)

• Looking for dis-equilibrating entry points (emerging trends – e.g. Family Grant, Judicial Reform, Policy Reform)

• Moving to the states and municipalities in order to work with them directly

• Dealing with the government and with the banks on realistic basis

• Attempting to support the acceleration of policy learning and lesson drawing processes

• Calibrating expectations