Technical and political criteria within regional dynamics in the appointment of State-level secretariat: a case study of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Recent studies on the profile of ministers’ appointments at the federal level have shown greater complexity on the logic underlying such decisions and, consequently, the explanatory insufficiency of a dichotomous distinction between “technical” versus “political” appointments. On the other hand, little is known about the types of appointments in state executives. Based on a case study, We compare whether the naming logics are similar or different from those found at the federal level. Materials and Methods: By adopting a qualitative investigation on the biography of all secretaries appointed between 1995 and 2015 in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil (RN), it was possible to go beyond basic information (such as educational background, professional occupation or party affiliation) of secretaries, identifying the trajectories of individuals in the political and electoral contexts of the state. From there, we propose a typology to measure technical and political competences. Results: The analysis of appointments for the case of RN based on this typology reveals that there are local specificities that explain a significant part of the choices made by governors in setting up their office. The most frequent type of appointment is that of a secretary with a mixed, technical and political profile at the same time, which confirms the analytical insufficiency of the “technical” or “political” dichotomy as a exclusive selection criteria by the heads of Executives. Discussion: Based on this explanatory data analysis of a specific case, the study opens avenues for future investigations, among them the idea of the existence of a kind of attenuated coalition presidentialism in some states to be understood from specifically regional dynamics.