The Bureaucratic Carousel of Positions of Trust: Analysis of Survival in the Management Positions of the Brazilian Federal Executive (1999-2017)

Abstract

We analyzed the length of stay of the nominees for Senior Management and Advi-sory (in the acronym in Portuguese, DAS) positions in the Brazilian Federal Execu-tive, from 1999 to 2017. The median duration in this type of position is 25 months and, at the top bureaucratic level, 23 months. About 30% of the nominees do not complete their first year of work and less than 30% of them remain in the same position for an entire presidential term. Factors such as the stability of ministers, affiliation to parties, belonging to federal careers, and place of work influence the chances of permanence of the nominees. The results contribute to unraveling the Brazilian Federal Executive’s working logic and its relationship with federative and party organizations. They also contribute to reflecting on ways to expand planning capacities and on the quality of the policy planning cycle by the public authority in charge.