Papers by Agustín E. Ferraro
Hahr-hispanic American Historical Review, Apr 26, 2016
American Bureaucracy and the State Building Process (1780-1860). Edited by juan carlos garavaglia... more American Bureaucracy and the State Building Process (1780-1860). Edited by juan carlos garavaglia and juan pro ruiz. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013. Illustrations. Tables. Maps. Glossary. Bibliographies. xi, 434 pp. Cloth, £54.99. The essays collected in this book are very precise and focused empirical studies on the early development of public bureaucracies in Latin American countries. In their own introductory essays, which comprise the first three chapters, the editors of the book elaborate upon that empirical research, presenting ambitious and relevant theoretical proposals related to social science discussions about state building. This is a necessary and very important book because, first of all, empirical studies about the formation of Latin American bureaucracies remain extremely unusual. And the book has a particularly interesting orientation, given that most of the chapters connect and compare the institutional structures of the colonial administration before independence to the state bureaucracies of the newly independent nations. The empirical studies, in other words, look for continuities as well as ruptures during the key period of transition to independence as well as in a few preceding and following decades. To my knowledge, this has never been attempted before in such a systematic and comprehensive way. The book is a very important and essential contribution, in the second place, because of its wide area of interest. It will appeal strongly to scholars in history and historical sociology as a matter of course, but its interest goes well beyond those fields. Many current political and public policy problems that cause widespread concern in Latin American countries can be traced back to ineffectual bureaucracies and weak state institutions. Mass poverty and social inequality, lack of public security, political corruption, and other persistent issues are the result, among other factors, of inadequate formulation and bad management of public policy by government agencies. Now, it is clear that the deficiencies of state institutions in the region are connected to institutional legacies and path dependency resulting from early state-building decisions. The book under review analyzes and discusses very thoroughly the institutional blueprints and the circumstances of early state building in Latin America. Analyzing the impact of early
Estado, gobierno, gestión pública: Revista Chilena de Administración Pública, 2006
Revista De Estudios Politicos, 2008
Sal en las heridas es un notable ejemplo de la denuncia, por parte de un intelectual público, de ... more Sal en las heridas es un notable ejemplo de la denuncia, por parte de un intelectual público, de una mentira, de un autoengaño colectivo, de una leyenda inventada para hacernos más interesantes y mejores a nosotros mismos. Leyendo esta obra, muchos lectores recordarán el famoso episodio de la vida de Émile Zola y quizás la clásica obra de teatro de Henrik Ibsen. Con todo, es importante reconocer que la obra de Palermo no se agota en el gesto valiente y digno de salir a cuestionar las falacias y el carácter autodestructivo de esa curiosa obsesión argentina, la «causa Malvinas».
International Public Management Journal, Nov 4, 2009
Vigoda-Gadot’s book represents a serious attempt to confront and resolve the enduring contradicti... more Vigoda-Gadot’s book represents a serious attempt to confront and resolve the enduring contradiction between democracy and bureaucracy in modern societies. Probably first posed by Weber, the contradiction or paradox lies in the fact that, although it is very much necessary for running a government with a modicum of efficiency and predictability, a professional bureaucracy is not a democratic organization. Members of the bureaucracy are neither voted by the people nor appointed by elected public officials. They are designated on the basis of merit. This should not be a problem, but often it is. Some readers will be wondering if the author succeeds in solving this famous paradox. We will discuss the point, of course, but bear in mind that success is not the most important issue for endeavors of this kind. The book is ambitious, original, and enlightening. It combines approaches and ideas from disciplines such as management, public administration, political science, and sociology. These disciplines too often work in isolation, which is particularly damaging when we attempt to deal with the links between the state, the bureaucracy, and the political system. Sorting out the bureaucracy-democracy paradox represents for Vigoda-Gadot a key factor in the creation and consolidation of ‘‘strong nations.’’ He defines a strong nation as ‘‘not the one with merely economic superiority, military dominance, or high levels of education, but the one that, through the consensus of its population, has found a way to bring together the conflicting ideas and imperatives of democracy and bureaucracy peacefully’’ (p. 2). The book is organized into three parts. The first part introduces a theoretical framework for the new concept of nation-building, and discusses the difference International Public Management Journal
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Aug 17, 2023
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Aug 17, 2023
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Mar 29, 2013
Global perspectives, 2023
Research and teaching about the state in Latin America have been under the strong influence of co... more Research and teaching about the state in Latin America have been under the strong influence of constitutional law and political philosophy since the nineteenth century. To this day, a formal constitutional understanding of the state dominates not only professional training and scholarly research in the fields of government and public administration but also, perhaps more significantly, public controversies about the design of state institutions. Such controversies do not happen often, but they have significant consequences when they do. We will illustrate the last point with a test case, the public controversy about the configuration of state institutions that took place during the past ten years in Mexico. The controversy had ample coverage in national media, and it contributed to a series of institutional conflicts—still ongoing—at the highest levels of the federal government in the country. Our analysis of this national debate, in section 2 of the article, shows that certain preconceived ideas about public life and the constitutional order are much more than just “technical” legal principles; they form a practical expectation of political and institutional life. Certain of these ideas, however, have been employed to support political positions that are hostile toward the consolidation of professional state bureaucracies. Only relatively recently, an alternative line of research on the state has begun to develop in Latin America, including contributions from political sociology and history, which systematically examines issues related to professional bureaucracies and political legitimacy.
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Feb 5, 2013
Latin American Politics and Society, 2008
Chile presents a paradox for legislative studies. In most comparative research on the political p... more Chile presents a paradox for legislative studies. In most comparative research on the political power of presidents and assemblies in Latin America, the Chilean presidency is considered one of the most powerful in the region. The country's congress is seen, accordingly, as weak and lacking influence over public policy. Such evaluations, however, tend to be based on constitutional and legal faculties (that is, formal powers), and they overlook the substantial influence exerted by the Chilean Congress through informal political channels. This article analyzes literature on informal politics that shows the substantial influence of Chile's Congress on public policy; and, for comparison, presents an empirical study that adds several details to current accounts of congressional influence on the bureaucracy in Chile and describes two mechanisms of congressional influence not contemplated by recent research.
Administrative Theory & Praxis, Mar 11, 2023
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Dec 6, 2018
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Mar 29, 2013
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Sep 1, 2015
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Dec 6, 2018
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Papers by Agustín E. Ferraro