Democratic backsliding and the challenges for public administration scholarship

Bibliographic Data

ID15748643
AuthorsGabriela Lotta (0000-0003-2801-1628, Faculdade Cásper Líbero, corresponding author), Marcella Monteiro De Souza E Silva (0000-0002-5588-9420, University of Oklahoma), Michelle Morais de Sá e Silva
Year2025
Volume9
Issue2
Pages76-85
Publication date2025-11-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePerspectives on Public Management and Governance (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2398-4910 • E-ISSN: 2398-4929
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/ppmgov/gvaf023
OpenAlexW7128646576
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited42

This article explores the implications of democratic backsliding for public administration (PA), both as a discipline and as a research subject, using Brazil as an exemplary case. Grounded in two experiences of conducting empirical research on the federal bureaucracy during the Bolsonaro administration (2019–2022), we argue for the need to understand the complexities involved in studying PA—particularly bureaucrats—during democratic backsliding. In Brazil, researchers identified changes to research agendas and priorities, to the training of civil servants, and to the academic curriculum, as well as new issues and challenges in public debate. The Brazilian case also made it apparent that research protocols require revisions, with heightened protections when involving bureaucrats at risk of persecution. Ultimately, the article contends that democratic backsliding demands a rethinking of PA as both a field of practice and an object of study

Administration (probate law · Bureaucracy · Democracy · Field (mathematics · Research Object · Scholarship · Education and Public Policy · Politics and Society in Latin America · Public Policy and Administration Research

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