Efficiency, Merit and Privilege: Public Administration Reforms in Brazil and Turkey

Abstract

The Brazilian and Turkish public administrations display a mixture of patrimonial, traditional bureaucratic and managerial characteristics. This patchwork is a result of more than a century of disjointed reform attempts to address chronic institutional problems such as government inefficiency, political patronage and corruption. Based on a comparative study of the two cases using official data, reports and a review of the public administration literature, this paper analyses the historical evolution and present structures of the civil service in Brazil and Turkey. Both public administrations continue to face diverse sets of challenges today, albeit in different forms and degrees: government inefficiency comes across as a major problem in Brazil, while the deterioration of the merit principle is particularly disconcerting in Turkey. Public sector employees enjoy more limited rights and benefits in Turkey compared to Brazil, where the civil service is faced with the opposite charge of undue privilege in a highly unequal society. Finally, while corruption and political patronage remain problematic in both cases, their causes appear to be different.

Human resource management for the resilience of public organizations: a model based on macro-competences

“…This is justified because such institutions, as well as other Brazilian public organizations, are often seen by the scientific and economic literature as ineffective and inefficient (Akkoyunlu, 2021;Bernal Arellano et al, 2013). As example, can be cited the Inter-American Development Bank analysis that viewed Brazil as the only country in the region, besides Honduras, where government efficiency deteriorated between 2004 and 2013 (Akkoyunlu, 2021;Velarde et al, 2014). To Akkoyunlu (2021) the causes of this inefficiency are the growing role of the federal government as a political and economic actor, and the accompanying increase in the size and budget of the civil service during the 2000s.…”

“…As example, can be cited the Inter-American Development Bank analysis that viewed Brazil as the only country in the region, besides Honduras, where government efficiency deteriorated between 2004 and 2013 (Akkoyunlu, 2021;Velarde et al, 2014). To Akkoyunlu (2021) the causes of this inefficiency are the growing role of the federal government as a political and economic actor, and the accompanying increase in the size and budget of the civil service during the 2000s.…”

“…, 2019; Brasil, 2021). This is justified because such institutions, as well as other Brazilian public organizations, are often seen by the scientific and economic literature as ineffective and inefficient (Akkoyunlu, 2021; Bernal Arellano et al. , 2013).…”

“…In the Brazilian context, the 63 Federal Universities of Higher Education are examples of organizations that may benefit from the adoption of such management practices (Bermejo et al, 2019;Brasil, 2021). This is justified because such institutions, as well as other Brazilian public organizations, are often seen by the scientific and economic literature as ineffective and inefficient (Akkoyunlu, 2021;Bernal Arellano et al, 2013). As example, can be cited the Inter-American Development Bank analysis that viewed Brazil as the only country in the region, besides Honduras, where government efficiency deteriorated between 2004 and 2013 (Akkoyunlu, 2021;Velarde et al, 2014).…”

“…, 2013). As example, can be cited the Inter-American Development Bank analysis that viewed Brazil as the only country in the region, besides Honduras, where government efficiency deteriorated between 2004 and 2013 (Akkoyunlu, 2021; Velarde et al. , 2014).…”