Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil

Autores
Costa, María Alejandra; Bortz, Gabriela Mijal; Seijo, Gustavo Luis
Año de publicación
2026
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Why do policy advisory systems (PAS) respond so differently to crises? Structural explanations, mostly derived from consolidated democracies, offer only a partial account because they overlook how advisory authority is reconfigured under political pressure in contexts where expertise is weakly institutionalized.To address this gap, this article examines how advisory authority is constructed and contested in politically contentious environments. It shifts attention from structural features to the role of key actors in shaping advisory processes. Among these actors, health regulatory agencies are relevant given their position at the interface between scientific validation and political decision-making. Yet, even when they share similar levels of international recognition, they may occupy different roles—remaining central in some cases while being bypassed in others.Drawing on a comparative analysis of health PAS during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and Argentina, we argue that this variation reflects the interaction between bureaucratic discretion and bureaucratic reputation, shaped by agencies’ positions within domestic and transnational expert networks. In Brazil, ANVISA combined greater discretion, strong network connections, and a solid reputation, enabling it to remain central even under politicized conditions and to produce a more centripetal configuration. In contrast, in Argentina, ANMAT operated with limited discretion in weaker, fragmented networks, which undermined its reputational authority and increased its vulnerability to politicization, resulting in a more centrifugal configuration.This article advances an actor-centered explanation of advisory authority in contexts of weakly institutionalized expertise, showing how variation in discretion and reputation shapes agencies’ capacity to remain central under crisis conditions.
Fil: Costa, María Alejandra. Fundaçao Getulio Vargas; Brasil
Fil: Bortz, Gabriela Mijal. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Escuela de Economia y Negocios. Centro de Investigaciones Para la Transformacion.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Seijo, Gustavo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto de Industria; Argentina
Materia
policy advisory systems
regulatory agencies
bureaucratic discretion
bureaucratic reputation
crisis governance
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/290312
Acceder
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network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and BrazilCosta, María AlejandraBortz, Gabriela MijalSeijo, Gustavo Luispolicy advisory systemsregulatory agenciesbureaucratic discretionbureaucratic reputationcrisis governancehttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/5.9https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5Why do policy advisory systems (PAS) respond so differently to crises? Structural explanations, mostly derived from consolidated democracies, offer only a partial account because they overlook how advisory authority is reconfigured under political pressure in contexts where expertise is weakly institutionalized.To address this gap, this article examines how advisory authority is constructed and contested in politically contentious environments. It shifts attention from structural features to the role of key actors in shaping advisory processes. Among these actors, health regulatory agencies are relevant given their position at the interface between scientific validation and political decision-making. Yet, even when they share similar levels of international recognition, they may occupy different roles—remaining central in some cases while being bypassed in others.Drawing on a comparative analysis of health PAS during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and Argentina, we argue that this variation reflects the interaction between bureaucratic discretion and bureaucratic reputation, shaped by agencies’ positions within domestic and transnational expert networks. In Brazil, ANVISA combined greater discretion, strong network connections, and a solid reputation, enabling it to remain central even under politicized conditions and to produce a more centripetal configuration. In contrast, in Argentina, ANMAT operated with limited discretion in weaker, fragmented networks, which undermined its reputational authority and increased its vulnerability to politicization, resulting in a more centrifugal configuration.This article advances an actor-centered explanation of advisory authority in contexts of weakly institutionalized expertise, showing how variation in discretion and reputation shapes agencies’ capacity to remain central under crisis conditions.Fil: Costa, María Alejandra. Fundaçao Getulio Vargas; BrasilFil: Bortz, Gabriela Mijal. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Escuela de Economia y Negocios. Centro de Investigaciones Para la Transformacion.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Seijo, Gustavo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto de Industria; ArgentinaTaylor & Francis2026-05info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/zipapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/290312Costa, María Alejandra; Bortz, Gabriela Mijal; Seijo, Gustavo Luis; Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil; Taylor & Francis; Policy Design and Practice; 5-2026; 1-122574-1292CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2026.2675755info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1080/25741292.2026.2675755info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2026-08-25T14:32:27Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/290312instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982026-08-25 14:32:27.434CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil
title Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil
spellingShingle Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil
Costa, María Alejandra
policy advisory systems
regulatory agencies
bureaucratic discretion
bureaucratic reputation
crisis governance
title_short Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil
title_full Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil
title_fullStr Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil
title_full_unstemmed Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil
title_sort Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Costa, María Alejandra
Bortz, Gabriela Mijal
Seijo, Gustavo Luis
author Costa, María Alejandra
author_facet Costa, María Alejandra
Bortz, Gabriela Mijal
Seijo, Gustavo Luis
author_role author
author2 Bortz, Gabriela Mijal
Seijo, Gustavo Luis
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv policy advisory systems
regulatory agencies
bureaucratic discretion
bureaucratic reputation
crisis governance
topic policy advisory systems
regulatory agencies
bureaucratic discretion
bureaucratic reputation
crisis governance
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5.9
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Why do policy advisory systems (PAS) respond so differently to crises? Structural explanations, mostly derived from consolidated democracies, offer only a partial account because they overlook how advisory authority is reconfigured under political pressure in contexts where expertise is weakly institutionalized.To address this gap, this article examines how advisory authority is constructed and contested in politically contentious environments. It shifts attention from structural features to the role of key actors in shaping advisory processes. Among these actors, health regulatory agencies are relevant given their position at the interface between scientific validation and political decision-making. Yet, even when they share similar levels of international recognition, they may occupy different roles—remaining central in some cases while being bypassed in others.Drawing on a comparative analysis of health PAS during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and Argentina, we argue that this variation reflects the interaction between bureaucratic discretion and bureaucratic reputation, shaped by agencies’ positions within domestic and transnational expert networks. In Brazil, ANVISA combined greater discretion, strong network connections, and a solid reputation, enabling it to remain central even under politicized conditions and to produce a more centripetal configuration. In contrast, in Argentina, ANMAT operated with limited discretion in weaker, fragmented networks, which undermined its reputational authority and increased its vulnerability to politicization, resulting in a more centrifugal configuration.This article advances an actor-centered explanation of advisory authority in contexts of weakly institutionalized expertise, showing how variation in discretion and reputation shapes agencies’ capacity to remain central under crisis conditions.
Fil: Costa, María Alejandra. Fundaçao Getulio Vargas; Brasil
Fil: Bortz, Gabriela Mijal. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Escuela de Economia y Negocios. Centro de Investigaciones Para la Transformacion.; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Seijo, Gustavo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento. Instituto de Industria; Argentina
description Why do policy advisory systems (PAS) respond so differently to crises? Structural explanations, mostly derived from consolidated democracies, offer only a partial account because they overlook how advisory authority is reconfigured under political pressure in contexts where expertise is weakly institutionalized.To address this gap, this article examines how advisory authority is constructed and contested in politically contentious environments. It shifts attention from structural features to the role of key actors in shaping advisory processes. Among these actors, health regulatory agencies are relevant given their position at the interface between scientific validation and political decision-making. Yet, even when they share similar levels of international recognition, they may occupy different roles—remaining central in some cases while being bypassed in others.Drawing on a comparative analysis of health PAS during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and Argentina, we argue that this variation reflects the interaction between bureaucratic discretion and bureaucratic reputation, shaped by agencies’ positions within domestic and transnational expert networks. In Brazil, ANVISA combined greater discretion, strong network connections, and a solid reputation, enabling it to remain central even under politicized conditions and to produce a more centripetal configuration. In contrast, in Argentina, ANMAT operated with limited discretion in weaker, fragmented networks, which undermined its reputational authority and increased its vulnerability to politicization, resulting in a more centrifugal configuration.This article advances an actor-centered explanation of advisory authority in contexts of weakly institutionalized expertise, showing how variation in discretion and reputation shapes agencies’ capacity to remain central under crisis conditions.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026-05
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/290312
Costa, María Alejandra; Bortz, Gabriela Mijal; Seijo, Gustavo Luis; Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil; Taylor & Francis; Policy Design and Practice; 5-2026; 1-12
2574-1292
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/290312
identifier_str_mv Costa, María Alejandra; Bortz, Gabriela Mijal; Seijo, Gustavo Luis; Reconfiguring policy advisory systems under crisis: the role of bureaucratic discretion and reputation in Argentina and Brazil; Taylor & Francis; Policy Design and Practice; 5-2026; 1-12
2574-1292
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2026.2675755
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1080/25741292.2026.2675755
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/zip
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Taylor & Francis
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Taylor & Francis
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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