FGV EBAPE Professor Addresses Crisis and Stability in Public Service in an Article Published in Estadão
On January 1, 2025, Professor João V. Guedes-Neto, from FGV EBAPE, published an opinion article in Estadão Newspaper entitled "Crisis and Stability in Public Service." In the text, the author reflects on the recurring cycles of trust crises in government and the solutions proposed throughout history, highlighting the risks of hasty changes to public service stability.
The article presents a detailed historical and theoretical analysis, mentioning contributions from important public administration scholars such as Woodrow Wilson, Max Weber, B. Guy Peters, and Samuel Krislov, in addition to addressing the managerial reform promoted in Brazil by Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira. According to Guedes-Neto, although the stability of public servants presents challenges, its flexibilization or elimination may lead to even greater problems, such as the political instrumentalization of the public sector.
In times of polarization and democratic tensions, the professor warns about the danger of measures that weaken the stability of public servants, citing international examples such as former U.S. President Donald Trump's attempt to create a new public career with political dismissal criteria, which was revoked by Joe Biden in 2021.
The article emphasizes the importance of learning from the past before proposing radical solutions to contemporary public administration issues. According to the author, any changes in this field need to be carefully planned to preserve the impartiality and continuity of essential public services.