Peeking Behind the Arches: An Examination of Diplomats’ Party Affiliations and Candidacies in Brazil

Abstract This article explores the intricate dynamics between Brazilian diplomats and political parties within the realm of foreign policy. Our central research problem is to uncover how the interplay of the party system’s structure, the attributes and ideologies of political parties, and the aspira...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Vinicius Silva Santos
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Published: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro 2025-08-01
Series:Contexto Internacional
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-85292025000200200&lng=en&tlng=en
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849233926884687872
author Vinicius Silva Santos
author_facet Vinicius Silva Santos
author_sort Vinicius Silva Santos
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This article explores the intricate dynamics between Brazilian diplomats and political parties within the realm of foreign policy. Our central research problem is to uncover how the interplay of the party system’s structure, the attributes and ideologies of political parties, and the aspirations of bureaucrats collectively influence the extent of diplomats’ involvement in formal party-political activities. Despite the growing attention to partisanship in Brazilian foreign policy debate, empirical research and methodological approaches to measure the concept are limited. The construct validity of the term is often confused with ideologization and politicization. Moreover, the involvement of Brazilian bureaucrats in party politics lacks comprehensive investigation. To address these gaps, this study examines the relationship between diplomats and political parties, uncovering its multifaceted dimensions and implications. Using a novel data source, we explore diplomats’ affiliations and candidacies, shedding light on interaction patterns during the Nova República period. We present a set of hypotheses investigating the association between diplomats’ party affiliations and their interactions with a) party ideologies (H1) and b) professional ambitions, delineated into i) intra-bureaucratic advantages (H2.1) and ii) political career aspirations (H2.2). By employing a mixed methods approach, incorporating thematic content analysis, descriptive statistics, and hypothesis testing, we aggregated evidence that substantiates hypotheses H1 and H2.2. However, in the case of H2.1, the findings proved inconclusive, prompting the need for further exploration into the topic.
format Article
id doaj-art-c2cbba3da7fe4377903031c0031bd447
institution Kabale University
issn 1982-0240
language Spanish
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro
record_format Article
series Contexto Internacional
spelling doaj-art-c2cbba3da7fe4377903031c0031bd4472025-08-20T04:03:21ZspaPontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de JaneiroContexto Internacional1982-02402025-08-0147210.1590/s0102-8529.20254701e20230020Peeking Behind the Arches: An Examination of Diplomats’ Party Affiliations and Candidacies in BrazilVinicius Silva Santoshttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0907-7832Abstract This article explores the intricate dynamics between Brazilian diplomats and political parties within the realm of foreign policy. Our central research problem is to uncover how the interplay of the party system’s structure, the attributes and ideologies of political parties, and the aspirations of bureaucrats collectively influence the extent of diplomats’ involvement in formal party-political activities. Despite the growing attention to partisanship in Brazilian foreign policy debate, empirical research and methodological approaches to measure the concept are limited. The construct validity of the term is often confused with ideologization and politicization. Moreover, the involvement of Brazilian bureaucrats in party politics lacks comprehensive investigation. To address these gaps, this study examines the relationship between diplomats and political parties, uncovering its multifaceted dimensions and implications. Using a novel data source, we explore diplomats’ affiliations and candidacies, shedding light on interaction patterns during the Nova República period. We present a set of hypotheses investigating the association between diplomats’ party affiliations and their interactions with a) party ideologies (H1) and b) professional ambitions, delineated into i) intra-bureaucratic advantages (H2.1) and ii) political career aspirations (H2.2). By employing a mixed methods approach, incorporating thematic content analysis, descriptive statistics, and hypothesis testing, we aggregated evidence that substantiates hypotheses H1 and H2.2. However, in the case of H2.1, the findings proved inconclusive, prompting the need for further exploration into the topic.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-85292025000200200&lng=en&tlng=enaffiliationcandidaciespartiespartisanshipforeign policybureaucracy
spellingShingle Vinicius Silva Santos
Peeking Behind the Arches: An Examination of Diplomats’ Party Affiliations and Candidacies in Brazil
Contexto Internacional
affiliation
candidacies
parties
partisanship
foreign policy
bureaucracy
title Peeking Behind the Arches: An Examination of Diplomats’ Party Affiliations and Candidacies in Brazil
title_full Peeking Behind the Arches: An Examination of Diplomats’ Party Affiliations and Candidacies in Brazil
title_fullStr Peeking Behind the Arches: An Examination of Diplomats’ Party Affiliations and Candidacies in Brazil
title_full_unstemmed Peeking Behind the Arches: An Examination of Diplomats’ Party Affiliations and Candidacies in Brazil
title_short Peeking Behind the Arches: An Examination of Diplomats’ Party Affiliations and Candidacies in Brazil
title_sort peeking behind the arches an examination of diplomats party affiliations and candidacies in brazil
topic affiliation
candidacies
parties
partisanship
foreign policy
bureaucracy
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-85292025000200200&lng=en&tlng=en
work_keys_str_mv AT viniciussilvasantos peekingbehindthearchesanexaminationofdiplomatspartyaffiliationsandcandidaciesinbrazil