Patrimonialism and its reflections in the Brazilian public administration

Abstract

This paper presents a brief report of the origins of Brazilian patrimonialism, originating from the Portuguese patrimonial State, and verifies that even before all historical and cultural transformations, it preserved its fundamental characteristic, represented by the presence in the bureaucratic frameworks of a given estate of the realm, and later class, which rules and governs by observing only its own interests, with no regard to legal norms and to impersonality, a fundamental value in the exercise of the public office. The purpose of this study was to discuss the importance of understanding, from historical rescue, how the Brazilian public administration was formed, and to verify the influence of institutionalized patrimonialism by the Portuguese colonial State – still present in contemporary Brazilian administration. This paper was carried out to know and verify the different contributions available on the theme, approached from a consultation of national and foreign literature. As a methodology, it conducted a qualitative, bibliographical and exploratory research. Thus, this research contributed to the academic activity by enabling the understanding of the Brazilian administrative system within a structure marked by patrimonialist origins, a factor perceived by the State itself in the attempts to change with administrative reforms. In conclusion, Brazilian patrimonialism has been reinventing itself over the years, and the patronage relations have survived through the readjustment of such practices to new realities, including those of the market.