Comparative public administration: An assessment of the administrative reforms in Brazil, USA and the European Union

Abstract

This article deepens the discussion, within the public administration science and from the comparative public administration perspective, about the recent evolution and problems in the management of the public administration in Brazil, USA and the European Union. The analysis reveals that administrative reforms have arrived to most countries impelled by the Washington Consensus. Distinct studies evidence that the New Public Management (NPM) may have affected many countries, but it had a deeper effect in some than in others. Both in Brazil and in the selected countries in this article strong elements of continuity can be identified after over 20 years of reform, showing that the reforms have helped very little in terms of stability or satisfaction.