ABSTRACT
One of the most important links in the democratic chain of delegation is the relationship between politicians and bureaucrats. Comparativists have studied this aspect of Brazilian politics for some 30 years, concluding that presidents choose certain agencies to be “pockets of efficiency” and then dole out the rest to coalition partners. More recently, scholars have analyzed the politicization of the state as one of the tools through which presidents try to hold their coalitions together – even while this encourages corruption scandals. This chapter critically reviews and updates the literature on politics and bureaucracy in Brazil with new data from party affiliations and political appointments to bureaucratic positions.
