Standing Committees, the Advisory Structure and the Informational Problem in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies

ABSTRACT

Literature on the legislative framework in Brazil is practically unanimous in identifying the lack of regulations and procedures able to incentivize the development of expertise and training among members of parliament for the formulation of public policies, with such a view suggesting that Congress is still to develop information mechanisms as part of its means of operation. It is, however, possible to detect nuclei of excellence within the Chamber of Deputies, initially trained to provide information by means of the standing committees and the Chamber’s advisory structure (notably the Legislative Consulting – Consultoria Legislativa). This article focuses on the second mechanism, hypothesizing on the conditions leading to the activation of its informative role and the consequences for both its means of operation and in its interactions with the floor. The plausibility of such propositions is examined, combining interviews with legislative advisors with a quantitative analysis of the workflow in the committees and the Legislative Consulting itself.

Brazil; Chamber of Deputies; information theory; Legislative Consulting; Standing Committees