LATIN AMERICAN SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE: ADVANCES AND SETBACKS

Abstract

In Latin America there are scant studies that systematically deal with the processes of institutionalization of systems of senior executive service. This article presents an updated analysis of the situation in four Latin American countries (Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Peru). Given the instability of public policies in the region, it is appropriate to review these experiences to identify possible determinants and possible challenges of the professionalization of senior executives in the region. In particular, this study explores the degree of institutionalization of the party system, and the constitutional power and party power of the President as possible structural determinants of reform agendas. It is concluded that these institutional determinants alone are an unsatisfactory explanation of the course of the administrative changes analyzed, and that it is necessary to incorporate other explanatory variables linked to factors of agency and administrative culture