Selected Cases in America: The Federative Republic of Brazil and the United States of America

The two countries’ government systems are characterized by the “separation of powers” between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. This separation of powers safeguards against the excessive concentration of power, ensuring that each branch exercises oversight over the others.

The United States civil service system generally follows a “merit-based system”.

Administrative history covers customs, progress, organizational characteristics, beliefs, religious rituals, past occurrences, and societal challenges that have molded its administrative framework.

Brazil has undergone multiple political transitions since Portugal first colonized the country in 1500. It has evolved from a colony to a kingdom, empire, republic, and now a democracy.

The country’s original name was “Land of the Holy Cross”.

A significant change came in 1808 when the Portuguese royal family fled Europe, and Rio became the capital of the entire Portuguese Empire.

In 1889, a military coup led to the removal of Emperor Pedro II from power and the establishment of the Federative Republic of Brazil, ending the monarchy that had ruled since 1822.

Settlers began emigrating to the North American continent in the second half of the 16th century and began widespread colonization of the current eastern US territory in the early 17th century. The first English colony was founded in Virginia in 1607.

After a war with its colonizer, the British Empire, colonies gained independence, and a new federal state was established in 1776.

Civil War (1861-1865) between the industrial Northern and more agricultural Southern states resulted in the victory of the North and the abolishment of slavery.

The administrative history of the US can generally be examined in three periods. The first period was the Gentlemen’s period when the aristocrats became the ruling elite. The second period is the Spoils System period, which witnessed widespread corruption and machine politics. The third period is that of the merit system, still in effect today.

Since gaining independence on 7 September 1822, Brazil has had eight constitutions, reflecting the
country’s changing socio-political landscape and making for a dynamic journey.

The constitution that came in 1988, often called the “Citizens’ Constitution’’, after Brazil indirectly elected its first civilian president since 1960 in January 1985. After prolonged periods of monarchy and military dictatorship, Brazil transitioned to civilian rule in 1985. The promulgation of the 1988 Constitution legitimized and regulated the exercise of political authority, providing a vital framework for restoring full democracy.

The federal government’s powers currently are divided into three branches/powers: the executive,
legislative, and judicial.

Brazil’s political system is known for its “coalitional presidential system”, multi-party arrangements, and decentralized voting procedures in line with constitutional provisions. This situation has led to a scenario where no single party ever controls a majority of the seats in Parliament, resulting in political instability and difficulties in passing legislation.

The US Constitution was written in 1787 and has been in operation since 1789. It is
the world’s longest-surviving written Constitution. It consists of a total of seven articles.

Article 19 of the Brazilian Constitution states that Brazil is a federal republic comprising 26 states and one federal district, Brasília, the capital city.

The US government system comprises one federal government, 50 state governments, more than 90.000 local governments, and numerous government agencies.

The tradition and political culture in the US that defines the roles and responsibilities of government in general and local governments, in particular, is neo-liberalism, which advocates that people, not the government, are the primary actors responsible for individual well-being.

The reforms in Brazil’s public service were influenced by the Weberian model, focusing on a logical,
merit-based, and rules-driven bureaucracy

Concerning the distribution of public employees, both active and inactive, across the levels of government, 15% of all public employees work at the federal level, 34% at the state level, and 50% at the municipal level.

The main reason for this complexity is the variation in public personnel systems and practices at the different levels of government due to the federal structure of the US administration, which creates a country-specific political and administrative structure.

This rule states that local governments are creatures of state governments. By this principle, local
government units are partially autonomous in their decisions and have some income of their own.

The US public personnel system is quite atypical in several ways: First, many public officials at state and local levels are elected rather than appointed due to the political culture that does not trust unelected bureaucrats. Second, the US has thousands of political appointees, probably one of the most among the developed countries. This system created highly politicized top-career civil service positions. Another interesting feature of the US public personnel system is the use of professional city managers, in addition to elected mayors, in the local government ecosystem. While the advantages and risks of employing professional city managers are up for debate, its use is widespread.

The democratization movement in the 1980s played a crucial role in shaping Brazil’s administrative reform movement by focusing on citizen participation, decentralization, and increased accountability, which were essential for modernizing and democratizing the country’s public administration.

In the US Administrative System, the emphasis is on competition, even among the different agencies of the government.

Brazil’s strategic location, demographic size, rising economy, and energy resources give it a competitive advantage and the potential to challenge the existing world order.

The BRICS is a group of emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and United Arab Emirates. The BRICS members aim to create a more democratic and representative global governance based on the principles of multilateralism, cooperation, and respect for diversity.

While hard power is mainly made up of economic and military strength, soft power consists of its
cultural influence, exerted mainly through its innovative capacity, entertainment industry, consumer goods, and university system.

The US is one of the founding members and primary funders of many international organizations and agreements, such as the United Nations, IMF, the World Bank, the OECD, and the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement).