The Politics of Patronage Appointments in Latin American Central Administrations

Francisco Panizza, B. Guy Peters, Conrado Ramos Larraburu, Francisco Panizza, B. Guy Peters, Conrado Ramos Larraburu

• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Year: 2022
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• eBook ISBN:
  9780822988922
• Subtopic: Latin American & Caribbean History
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Although merit system selection and management of public personnel is thought of as the standard for good governance, public employees frequently are appointed by political officials rather than being members of a career civil service. In fact, there has been an increase in the level of patronage appointments and politicization of public administration over the past several decades as political leaders attempt to impose their control over the public bureaucracy. Although widespread, patronage appointments in the public sector are particularly important in Latin America, where there is a tradition of extensive patronage. The Politics of Patronage Appointments in Latin American Central Administrations seeks to understand the motivations of patrons when they make appointments, the roles appointees play, the skills required to play these roles, and what accounts for different modalities of patronage. It moves beyond the conventional condemnation of patronage to examine the multiple uses of political appointments, which can be crucial for obtaining the services of highly qualified individuals who otherwise might not be willing to work in the public sector.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• Introduction: The Issue of Patronage in Latin America
• 1. From Politicians to Managers: Technocratic, Postideological Patronage in Argentina, 2015–2019
• 2. Patronage Appointments in Brazil, 2011–2019
• 3. Patronage in Chile: A Process in Reconfiguration
• 4. The Politicization of Professionalization: The Attempt to Reform the Public Sector in Ecuador, 2007–2017
• 5. Patronage in the Mexican Public Sector, 2000–2018
• 6. Patronage Appointments and Technocratic Power in Peru
• 7. Patronage in a Party Government: Political Appointments under the Frente Amplio in Uruguay, 2005–2015
• Conclusion
• Notes
• List of Contributors
• Index