Ministerial Appointments Strategies: Between policy and public policy

Abstract

Introduction: Ministers are crucial stakeholders in the policymaking, advocacy and political representation of social and interest groups, advising and support the chief of government, and exercising maximum authority in the specific field under their jurisdiction for several daily demands. In this context, the composition of the cabinets indicates the permeability of political aspects as well as technical elements in handling of the policy issues by the ministries. So what are the profiles of ministers appointed by elected governments in Brazil, especially in terms of party political affiliation and technical expertise? Materials and Methods: To answer this question, this article proposes the Ministerial Politization Index (IPM) from an original database of the Collor government ministers to the interruption of Dilma Rousseff's second term (1990 to 2016). Results: As a result, the paper shows a high qualification of the median minister in democratic Brazil, as well as predominance of the profile that assemble experiences in the political and technical arenas. There are also differences in the appointment patterns between PSDB and PT administrations. While the former select more entrepreneurs and specialists, PT has been more politicized and more often appointed employees, women and blacks. Discussion: In sum, by adding in the ministers' analysis both the personal trajectory perspective and the party composition approach in the context of coalition presidentialism, the article contributes to qualify the debate about the Executive and also regarding the party system differences in Brazil.