How Do Middle Managers Matter in Policymaking? Examining Managerial Work and Influence in Brazil

The role of public managers in public administration is well established but what they do in relation to policymaking is largely unexamined. This paper examines the interactions with various policy actors and the activities performed by public managers in relation to their ability to influence policymaking. It uses data from a large-N survey of public managers in the federal government of Brazil. It finds four clusters of public managers’ policy work: external coordination, stakeholder management, internal administration, and accountability management. Further analysis shows that external policy work or the work that involves engaging with external stakeholders increases managerial influence. Internal administrative work is negatively associated with managerial influence while accountability management does not have any effect.