Middle-level bureaucracy and institutional outcomes: evidence from Brazil’s Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology

Abstract

This article investigates whether and to what extent attributes of middle-level bureaucrats (MLBs), understood as expressions of state capacities at the individual level, are associated with institutional outcomes of Brazil’s Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology (FIs). The central research question examines whether the characteristics and practices of campus directors influence (a) the provision of the National Program for the Integration of Vocational Education with Basic Education in the Youth and Adult Education modality (PROEJA) and (b) the mobilization of parliamentary amendments, understood as an indicator of political-institutional articulation aimed at expanding investments in campuses. This is a nationwide quantitative study, with data collected in 2024 through questionnaires administered to 224 campus directors – corresponding to 37.3% of the target population – covering all 38 Federal Institutes. The empirical dataset was complemented with secondary data from the Nilo Peçanha Platform and the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research (Inep). The analyses employed multiple binary logistic regression models. The results indicate that individual attributes of MLBs – such as decision-making style, participation in institutional networks, proactive engagement with members of Congress, and level of knowledge – are statistically associated with a higher probability of both proposing PROEJA-related courses and securing parliamentary amendments. The findings reinforce the relevance of middle-level bureaucrats as strategic actors in the activation of state capacities, demonstrating that public policy outcomes depend not only on structural factors or high-level decisions.