Difficulties in purchasing and contracting in support of research projects in public institutions in Brazil: Challenges of Control or dysfunction in the relationship between the involved agents?

Abstract

This article proposes a new perspective on the difficulties in purchasing and contracting in support of research projects in public institutions in Brazil, which persist even after the legal innovations introduced by the New Legal Framework for Science, Technology, and Innovation (Law 13.243/2016), which were intended to simplify and streamline the procurement processes of goods, services, and supplies for the smooth progress of scientific research. The literature's approach to the subject tends to place greater emphasis on the dysfunctions of Control and issues related to the culture of public administration. However, in this article, we propose expanding this perspective to the intricate relationship between the agents involved or interfering in the process and the complexity of this system, with various problems that may be reinforcing and unintentionally contributing to resistance to the intended change by the new legal framework.