Managers and bureaucracies in public policies for family farming

Abstract

This article analyses the institutional and bureaucratic context in which family farming policy managers are inserted. Based on a set of semi-structured interviews carried out with managers and having as theoretical reference a critical interpretation of bureaucracy, the article discusses some challenges experienced by managers in the construction of a specific bureaucratic apparatus for family farming in the Federal government. It also introduces a discussion on the role played by audit policy in the recent context and its effects on the public policies studied, especially with regard to instruments to promote participation. Finally, in addition to some final considerations, the article examines questions about the administrative language of the State and the process of “bureaucratization” imposed on social actors in relation to public policies for family farming.