The Politics of Patronage Appointments in Latin American Central Administrations [Hardcover]

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 Administrationsseeks 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.

“The Politics of Patronage in Latin American Central Administrationsis a very different book from almost all others so far published on the state and the public sector in Latin America, as it offers us a much-needed new view on patronage and the civil service, and their relation with governance. No doubt, its groundbreaking approach, research, and conclusions will have an important impact on the discussion of politics, government, and the public sector in this region as well as others of the developing world.”—José Luis Méndez Martínez, El Colegio de Mexico

“In Latin American countries, the politics of patronage has historically been fraught with negative connotations. This book offers a novel theoretical approach and hypotheses for analyzinlS,