Reform In Portugal Research Articles

When Redistribution Backfires Politically: Theory and Evidence from Land Reform in Portugal

When Redistribution Backfires Politically: Theory and Evidence from Land Reform in Portugal

Administrative reforms in Portugal and Spain: From bureaucracy to digital transition

This article analyzes the administrative reforms that took place in the national governments of Portugal and Spain in the last 100 years. The shifts of administrative paradigms are the bureaucratic transition, the managerialist transition and the digital transition. The dimensions of analysis are the doctrines of the reforms; their justifications and underlying values; policy leadership, implementation styles and instruments; and resistance to change. We conducted a systematic literature review consulting 33 peer-reviewed articles on public management paradigms and 46 on administrative reforms in Portugal and Spain, and analyzed 32 official documents on the theme. The results show that the digital transition, compared with the two previous reforms, has relied on networked policy entrepreneurship, various instruments for policy change (beyond regulation), integration of values and a shift in the pattern of resistance to change. The article concludes that incremental changes occur between administrative reforms (punctuations), and the introduction of instruments inspired by one public management paradigm does not halt or replace the introduction of other instruments derived from other paradigms. Points for practitioners: Portugal and in Spain are vivid examples where public administration reforms have become more frequent and integrative of normative values. Over time, policy change leadership has moved down the organizational hierarchy and even been outsourced to external agents. Also, diversity of policy instruments has expanded, and the patterns of resistance to reforms shifted from a political/ideological type of resistance to a human/organizational type. The discursiveness of “new public governance” has ceded to the digital transformation of public administration.

The discussions on the overseas administrative reform in Portugal (1950-1967)

This article analyses the discussions on the possibilities of applying the principles of Public Administrative reform studied at the Metropolis to the overseas territories. This analysis begins in the 1950s, focusing on the logics of economic planning and ends in 1967, when the Secretariat for Administrative Reform is created, the first body responsible for coordinating the reform. Being an innovative study on a topic not yet analysed by historiography, the investigation relied on extensive archive documentation. These are kept, mostly, by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of the Environment, which keep, respectively, the archives of the organizations responsible for studying the administrative reform and the archive of the economic planning. The article also uses a wide variety of printed sources published by the analyzed bodies.

Municipal accounting reform in Portugal by Costa Cabral and its impact in the 19th Century (1842-1900)

This study aims to understand the importance and scope of the municipal accounting reform developed from 1842 to 1849 by Costa Cabral, Portuguese Minister of the Kingdom (1842-1846, 1849-1851) and Prime Minister (1849-1851), analysing its content, effective application, the impact it had on Portuguese municipal accounting and how it contributed to a greater link between the local government and the central government. To this end, we present a brief analysis of the economic, social and political context of the 1840s and the transformations then operated at the administrative and fiscal level with an impact on municipal accounting; the literature review regarding municipal accounting, especially from the 19th century; the historical sources used and the methodology adopted; the nature of Costa Cabral's 1849 Instructions on municipal accounting, its application and importance, seeking to detect changes and the factors behind them. We conclude that the Portuguese State, by defining the regulation for itself and for the organizations that depended on it, intervened, innovated and disseminated the accounting transformations carried out with the 1849 Instructions, seeking to integrate municipalities into the national accounting system as a whole, in a clear exercise of power, in a political context of legal imposition and lack of revenues, but also within a cultural and technical context of modernization, rationality and efficiency of municipal services. Submitting municipalities to common procedures and practices, as well as to the same obligations, is a remarkable achievement.

University governance reforms in Portugal

AbstractThis paper is to analyze the 2007 reform of the higher education system in Portugal (RJIES), which ambitioned fundamental changes in the governance of universities, the option given to higher education institutions (HEIs) to be transformed into public foundations being only one element of the reform. Based on desk research, the key elements of the reform, the process of designing and introducing it and an assessment of its impact are presented. We may conclude that the governance reform has led to more effective management of universities regardless of their legal status, but the new, foundation form has not fulfilled the expectations regarding the more autonomous and flexible operation of the transformed HEIs, due, to a large extent, to the financial restrictions brought about by the global crisis.

Two hundred years of administrative reforms in Portugal and Spain: from patrimonialism to managerialism

The objective of this essay is to compare the administrative reforms that took place in the national governments of Portugal and Spain. The dimensions of analysis are: the doctrines of the reforms, their justifications and their underlying values; the policy leadership, its implementation styles and instruments; the external induction and the resistances to change. The observed transition landmarks are: the patrimonialist transition, the bureaucratic transition and the managerial transition. We carried out a literature review on public management paradigms and administrative reforms in Portugal and Spain, in addition to consulting official documents of the two national governments. As conclusions, some similarities were identified between the reform processes regarding the contents of the reforms and their underlying values and justifications, and the preference for the legal instrument of policy change (laws, decrees, regulations), as well as the leadership and implementation style. Regarding the differences, Portugal is perceived as more permeable to external induction than Spain. Comparing the transition processes, recent managerial reforms have relied on networked policy entrepreneurs, using a variety of instruments (in addition to legislative change), a pattern visibly modified after the redemocratization and after Portugal and Spain joined the European Union.

When Redistribution Backfires: Theory and Evidence from Land Reform in Portugal

When Redistribution Backfires: Theory and Evidence from Land Reform in Portugal

NCP 5 – Tangible Fixed Assets

2015 saw an important step in the accounting reform in Portugal. On September 11, 2015, the Accounting Standardization System for Public Administrations (SNC-AP) was approved through Decree-Law No. 192/2015, which revokes the Official Public Accounting Plan (POCP) and establishes an accounting standard aligned with international accounting standards.
 The development of this work is based on content analysis focused on Public Accounting Standard 5, NCP 5, which was broken down into the respective chapters of the regulations.
 In this way, to reach the objective of the study, work was developed on several themes, which are essentially based on the chapters of NCP 5. In this way, the topics covered are: Objectives, Scope and Definitions, Measurement, Recognition and Derecognition; and, in order to better contextualize and exemplify the practical application of the standard, we will find, at the end of this work, some practical situations.

Understanding the positions taken by moderate union confederations and centre-left parties during labour market reforms in Portugal and Spain: Why the configuration of left parties and trade union confederations matters?

The insider-outsider politics approach conjectures that moderate unions and centre-left parties safeguard the interests of insiders and neglect outsiders in labour market reforms. This article challenges this hypothesis. By comparing the positions taken by centre-left parties and moderate union confederations during labour market reforms in Portugal and Spain (1975–2019), it shows that while they may indeed protect insiders, they sometimes do the opposite. To explain this, the article argues that more attention must be paid to the configuration of left parties and confederations. In Portugal, where communist and radical left parties were strong, the centre-left was afraid of losing outsiders’ electoral support, and thus it did not follow a pro-insider strategy. This was reinforced by the fact that the centre-left had to face the opposition of a strong class-oriented confederation that was not willing to commit to two-tier reforms. This was not what happened in Spain. The centre-left, supported by a union confederation, undertook a two-tier reform in 1984 because there was a different configuration of left parties and confederations. Notwithstanding, this was not a stable equilibrium because this confederation changed its position over time when it realized the negative consequences of these reforms. Henceforth, their strategy became more pro-outsider.

What Capital Wants: Business Interests and Labor Market Reform in Portugal and Spain

Under what conditions are governments able to liberalize labor markets? I leverage the cases of Portugal and Spain, two countries hit by the Eurozone crisis and constrained in their policy options, that diverge in the key measure mandated by international creditors to recover – the decentralization of collective bargaining. Against the common assumption that the liberalization of labor is widely embraced by capital, I show that governments are only able to advance labor reforms when there is a leading industrial export sector that benefits from it and provides a powerful domestic social partner. I test this argument with in-depth qualitative data collected during twelve months of fieldwork in both countries, including 129 interviews with politicians, policy-makers, and members of business associations and labor confederations, among others.

The Politics of Change. Coalitional politics and labour market reforms during the sovereign debt crisis in Portugal

AbstractThis article describes and explains labour market reforms in Portugal during the sovereign debt crisis from 2011 to 2014. Policy outputs were not homogenous, but differentiated between a first phase where recalibration co-existed alongside hard liberalising measures and a second phase, from late 2012, where recalibration was dropped and liberalisation further deregulated employment protection and security and eroded collective bargaining. This variation is explained by the changing coalitional politics and blame allocation underpinning policymaking under conditionality. Initial reforms resulted from a broad informal political coalition spanning the governing centre-right parties, the main opposition party, a trade union and employer confederations; its breakdown in late 2012 led to the executive’s increasing centralisation, the shut down of social concertation, and more radical policy outputs. The article shows that cooperation between government and opposition and government and social partners is possible even under external conditionality, how coalition politics affects the nature and direction of reforms, and highlights how political dynamics of blame allocation drive the process of coalition building and breakdown.

The impact of e-procurement on institutional quality

PurposeBecause of the renewed interest in public purchasing and the strategic use of public funds under the requirements of sustainable development, the question arose once again as to how to curb the fall of institutional quality once criteria other than price are inserted into the decision-making in public purchasing. E-procurement has been repeatedly named as one of the most efficient tools to that effect and the present paper sets out to discover whether the implementation of e-procurement in a particular country per se entails also higher institutional quality, allowing for a wider implementation of green and sustainable procurement at the national, regional and municipal level without the fear of worsening the country’s institutional quality. By analyzing the implementation of e-procurement in Denmark, the Netherlands and in Portugal, this paper aims to verify the hypothesis that the implementation of e-procurement implies better institutions in terms of public purchasing. As such, the conclusions will be used in further research on the prerequisites for a successful implementation of green public procurement across the European Union.Design/methodology/approachGathering data on institutional quality of three early e-procurement adopters (Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal) allows for comparison of institutional quality pre- and post-e-procurement implementation. By using difference-in-differences comparison the paper seeks to answer the question how doesmandatory e-procurement influence institutional quality on the national level.FindingsThe paper finds that the reform is generally associated with a relatively stronger control of corruption in the Netherlands and Denmark, while a similar reform in Portugal failed to translate into a stronger control of corruption. Furthermore, while using the quality of regulation as a dependent variable, a positive and robust effect on the quality of regulation in Denmark was shown, while the quality of reputation in the Netherlands and Portugal declined in the post-reform period, with the drop in the quality of regulation in Portugal being considerably greater, a two-fold higher amount than the estimated drop in the Netherlands. The paper suggests that in spite of the same aims, the reform yielded substantially different or even opposing effects compared to Denmark.Research limitations/implicationsBy examining three examples of early adopters, further research with broader impact is needed to deduce general implications for e-procurement implementation. Furthermore, implementation of e-procurement at the regional or local level can also yield distinct results.Social implicationsUnderstanding the actual impact of e-procurement on institutional quality is indispensable for further study on the matter. The present study argues that e-procurement needs to be accompanied by additional measures or variables to yield a positive impact on institutional quality in public procurement.Originality/valueAs to originality, the present paper uses a law and economics approach, originating or better said drawing motivation from green public procurement concerns, trying to provide an insight in terms of tools that can be used to eliminate concerns regarding institutional quality when implementing green public procurement practices.

Health care in post‐crisis South Europe: Inequalities in access and reform trajectories

AbstractThe European debt crisis stimulated debate about the future of national health systems. The objective of this article is to contribute to this debate by examining any changes in the scope and content of universal coverage and underlying pattern of solidarity in South Europe. Access to health care provides the vantage point for our analysis. Inequalities in access are scrutinized along a number of dimensions by using data from various sources. Our main conclusions clearly show that the public health care systems in Italy and, particularly, in Spain weathered the crisis pretty well and retained their universalistic features. Nonetheless, rising supplemental private coverage (of an “occupational‐mutualist” type) adversely impacts access, but it is unclear how this will unfold in the near future. Tackling fragmentation through expansion and equalization of coverage, though for a comparatively “lean” basket of provisions, has been the focus of reforms in Portugal and Greece. This keeps private spending high and sustains inequalities, whereas any prospects for a stronger variant of universalism remain an open question.

What is the Impact of Increased Business Competition?

This paper studies the macroeconomic effect and underlying firm-level transmission channels of a reduction in business entry costs. We provide novel evidence on the response of firms' entry, exit, and employment decisions. To do so, we use as a natural experiment a reform in Portugal that reduced entry time and costs. Using the staggered implementation of the policy across the Portuguese municipalities, we find that the reform increased local entry and employment by, respectively, 25% and 4.8% per year in its first four years of implementation. Moreover, around 60% of the increase in employment came from incumbent firms expanding their size, with most of the rise occurring among the most productive firms. Standard models of firm dynamics, which assume a constant elasticity of substitution, are inconsistent with the expansionary and heterogeneous response across incumbent firms. We show that in a model with heterogeneous firms and variable markups the most productive firms face a lower demand elasticity and expand their employment in response to increased entry.

Enacting education policy reform in Portugal – the process of change and the role of teacher education for inclusion

ABSTRACTThe international trend to develop inclusive systems, has resulted in pressure on national governments to develop policies that promote quality education for all. In 2017–18 Portugal has adopted progressive educational policies with regards to inclusive education, that attempt to reconcile school values, curriculum and pedagogies. This article critically analyses changes proposed by this wave of educational policy reform and establishes the need for a strong continuous professional development of mainstream teachers to support them to develop as reflexive and inclusive practitioners. The analysis applies two models of change to examine the ‘policy ecology’ and consider the initiatives used to enact change in Portuguese schools. The policies have prioritised the development of schools in which all students are welcome, able to participate and succeed. While this wave of policy reform has relied both on formal and non-formal forms of teacher education, there is a danger of superficial approaches that may not support teachers in the process of change.

The use of budgetary and financial information by politicians in parliament: a case study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to research the use of accounting information by politicians. Based on the Portuguese Parliament setting, it seeks to understand how useful politicians consider this information to be, what type of budgetary and financial information they use, and for what purposes. Finally, the research also seeks to find out whether politicians resort to expert intermediaries or advisors help them in the use of this information.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a qualitative and interpretative methodology, the study draws upon interviews with Members of Parliament in Portugal (and their technical advisors (TAs)) from all political parties, in particular the members of the Budget, Finance and Administrative Modernization Committee (COFMA) of the Parliament.FindingsResearch shows that, due to the general lack of knowledge and the complexity of the accounting information, politicians in the Parliament do not use it frequently, only occasionally. To be better or worse informed for the debates and other activities depends on each Member of Parliament’s personal willingness to prepare oneself, notwithstanding some aggregated and previously analyzed information made available by official technical support units. Parliamentarians may also resort to TAs, who prepare the information at their request. Both intermediaries and TAs are deemed important to support parliamentarians’ understanding of more technical budgetary and financial issues.Practical implicationsThis paper shows that politicians acknowledge there is room for improving the role of information intermediaries and advisors, who would support them to better understand and use accounting information. Parliamentary groups incharge of hiring advisors, as well as accounting professionals, in Portugal and in other countries, must be aware of the very useful role accountants play in this process.Social implicationsWhile allowing to understand whether and how politicians use accounting information, this research contributes to the process of public sector accounting reforms in Portugal, and at an international level, inasmuch as public sector accounting and reporting standards should better address these users’ information needs. Assuming that these reforms would foster more accurate, transparent and useful information for accountability and decision making, it is essential that politicians acknowledge and become real users of accounting information, in order to accomplish those objectives.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the general knowledge of how politicians use accounting information. Academic studies so far have not gathered enough evidence about the type of accounting information that is actually important for politicians. This paper highlights that use of such information by politicians depends on individual skills and their willingness to receive the appropriate advice.

Frontal assault versus incremental change: A comparison of collective bargaining in Portugal and the Netherlands

Abstract Collective bargaining has come under renewed scrutiny, especially in Southern European countries, which rely predominantly on sectoral bargaining supported by administrative extensions of collective agreements. Following the global financial crisis, some of these countries have implemented substantial reforms in the context of adjustment programmes, seen by some as a ‘frontal assault’ on collective bargaining. This paper compares the recent top-down reforms in Portugal with the more gradual evolution of the system in the Netherlands. While the Dutch bargaining system shares many of the key features that characterise the Portuguese system, it has shown a much greater ability to adjust to new challenges through concerted social dialogue. This paper shows that the recent reforms in Portugal have brought the system more in line with Dutch practices, including in relation to the degree of flexibility in sectoral collective agreements at the worker and firm levels, the criteria for administrative extensions, and the application of retro- and ultra-activity. However, it remains to be seen to what extent the top-down approach taken in Portugal will change bargaining practices, and importantly, the quality of industrial relations.

MURATORI E OS DEFEITOS DA JURISPRUDÊNCIA: CONSIDERAÇÕES SOBRE OS FUNDAMENTOS TEÓRICOS DAS REFORMAS JURÍDICAS SETECENTISTAS

O intuito desse trabalho é fazer um balanço da importância da obra de Lodovico Antonio Muratori para a formação do reformismo jurídico setecentista. Analisam-se as críticas que Muratori faz à ciência jurídica do antigo regime como parte integrante do discurso político sobre a felicidade pública que se difunde a partir da primeira metade do século XVIII e do qual o próprio Muratori foi um importante expoente. Tal discurso, que – porder-se-ia argumentar – mais tarde iria desenvolver-se no sentido de contribuir para a fundamentação dos direitos humanos e da personalidade, foi inicialmente tópico importante da justificação da centralização absolutista. Procura-se demonstrar, assim, a conexão entre a teoria da reforma do direito e os primórdios da formação da ideia de absolutismo esclarecido. Em seguida, explica-se como as ideias de Muratori foram recepcionadas por autores iluministas e, através deles, ganharam toda a Europa, tornando-se parte do repertório comum da crítica ao antigo regime no século XVIII. Por fim, comenta-se a possibilidade de reverberação das ideias de Muratori durante os primórdios das reformas jurídicas pombalinas.

Sectoral effects of a Green Tax Reform in Portugal

Economic downturn coupled with serious and persisting environmental problems require a new regulation system to tackle these problems. The Portuguese government created the Commission for the Green Tax Reform in 2014, following the guidelines of the European Union in the sense that fiscal policy should contribute to public budget consolidation and sustainable growth. The Commission was commissioned to propose a simplification of taxation in order to promote economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and the efficient use of resources. The aim of this paper is to present the results from one of the teams that have contributed to the Commission for the Green Tax Reform. We have followed the European Commission guidelines in order to simulate a Green Tax Reform with a static general equilibrium model and aligned to the political context. We found that (i) it is possible to enjoy a positive double dividend, (ii) to achieve improvements in the energy-trade balance and energy independence and (iii) to reduce the energy intensity of the Portuguese economy.

Primary health care reform in Portugal, 2005-2018: the future and challenges of coming of age

In order to reform Portugal's primary health care (PHC), the Ministry of Health planned a change that was launched in 2005 and 2006, and which is still under way today. This article aims to analyze PHC reform in Portugal according to different phases in its development, using Kingdon's multiple streams model to reflect on the evolution in the reform process and its future, from the perspective of a process that seeks to achieve universal access to health. The working methodology was a document and case study with a qualitative approach and evaluative dimensions. The study was based on material on PHC in Portugal, published both in Portugal and elsewhere. Kingdon's multiple streams model was used to explain the actual and contextual development of policies implemented during the PHC reform. Three phases were identified in the reform, each lasting about five years. The first phase, starting in 2005, featured family health units with a voluntary basis. The second phase began in 2010, with the model's consolidation. In the third phase, since 2015 and still under way, the model came of age, benefiting from the end of the financial crisis but still suffering from its effects. The three reform cycles represent three distinct periods with consistency in the coalition that the policymaker was able to establish, in which the windows of opportunity for internally built change were heavily influenced by external factors. The article identifies the contribution by PHC reform to improvement of the Portuguese population's health status.