Transformations of the state: approximations between Brazil and the PALOP

Abstract

In this essay, we propose an approach to theoretical production on the transformations that have taken place in public management between Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP) and Brazil, centered on their historical-cultural roots, discussing explanatory and alternative structures and proposing paths for future research. In order to achieve the recommended objectives, a bibliographic review was carried out, seeking convergences and divergences in the transformations in public management between the countries in question. We start from the assumption that, although these countries have certain peculiarities in public management, in their socioeconomic formations and administrative construction, they all have historical-cultural roots inherited from Portugal, have Portuguese as an official language and share the same pretexts to make their management public efficient and less bureaucratic. However, one of its limitations is the lack of empirical evidence given the breadth of the investigated phenomenon (five countries), converging on a broader comparative research agenda. This study fills a gap in the literature by providing a systematic and comparative analysis of management models in African countries little investigated in the administrative tradition. We conclude, therefore, that, despite the numerous transformations experienced, the form of public management has changed little. Scholars argue that in Brazil this is due to the incorporation of imported reforms to a totally different reality, while in the PALOP it is due to the armed conflicts that most faced, as well as the imposition of reforms by international organizations, without shaping their basic operational structures.