Centralizar ou descentralizar? efeitos da partilha de poder institucional sobre a capacidade administrativa do Estado na América Latina entre 1990 2015.

Abstract

This study investigates to what extent the sharing of institutional power, through regional autonomy and citizen participation, increases state administrative capacity in Latin America between 1990 and 2015. Countering the Weberian centralizing tradition, the initial hypothesis posits positive effects of decentralization and participation. The theoretical review covers the resurgence of state studies, the dimensions of state capacity, and the debates on institutional design in the region. The method employed develops panel data analysis for 20 countries, using static, dynamic, and GMM models. The variable administrative capacity is operationalized by the Impartial Administrative Capacity Index; regional autonomy, by the Regional Authority Index; and participation, by V-Dem indicators. The results show a more nuanced relationship than expected. Regarding the political regime, the investigation identified a positive association between democracy and bureaucratic capacity. However, the dynamic and GMM models suggest coevolution and reciprocal causality. Regional autonomy loses significance when controlling for unobserved heterogeneity, indicating that its association derives from shared historical trajectories. Participation acts more as a component of broad democratic architectures than as an independent factor. The main finding of the investigation lies in the high temporal persistence of bureaucratic capacity (approximately 77%), reinforcing its historical and incremental nature. In these terms, the study sought to contribute to the performance of political science by demonstrating, through statistics, that the understanding of state-building in Latin America requires overcoming simplistic dichotomies, by considering arrangements that combine responsive autonomy, intergovernmental coordination, democratic legitimacy, and bureaucratic professionalism.