INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE: Contributions to a National Research Agenda

This article provides a theoretical-methodological overview of empirical research on institutional changes in Brazil, particularly those that have employed the assumptions of gradualism and endogeneity, linked to the framework of Historical Institutionalism. Through a thematic review of studies available in virtual repositories, the aim was to identify in their research designs: i) how they developed important theoretical categories – actors, ideas, conflicts, previous institutions, etc., ii) what methodological strategies and types of data they mobilized to deal with legacies, sequences of events, ambiguities, and institutional gaps, dimensions valued by the historical perspective. The findings indicate that this field of study is expanding slowly, with few empirical investigations and rare comparative approaches. The difficulties and weaknesses of theoretical-empirical connections, process analysis, and methodological strategies are evident, especially in tracing the dynamic interaction between agency and structure. There is also a need for the incorporation of more critical debates regarding classic models and authors in the field.

Institutional Change; Institutions; New Institutionalism; Historical Institutionalism; Public Policy