PhD Students - Romualdo Anselmo dos Santos

Details

Thesis Title: Institutionalising Anti-corruption in Brazil: The Path of Controladoria-Geral da Uniao (CGU)
Start Year: 2007

Supervisors

Graham Harrison and Steve Ludlam

Research Topic

The focus of my research is primarily on Controladoria-Geral da União (Brazil`s Office of the Comptroller General, or CGU) - the Brazilian anti-corruption agency. The study examines the trajectory of the institution, its genesis and evolution as a major tool of anti-corruption policy in Brazil. CGU is an innovation in the Brazilian public administration and this may be perceived in four aspects: the ministerial status; the longevity of the institution; its continuous empowerment; and the strategy it applies to curb corruption.

The theoretical foundations here are historical institutionalism and mechanisms of institutional reproduction – path dependence, institutional layering, increasing returns, and positive feedback. As an explanatory analysis, the study tries to answer two research questions:

1) Why and in which context has this particular institutional arrangement (CGU) emerged? and
2) How has this institution been persisting over time?

My argument is that even under a dynamic process and considering the sensitive issue CGU faces, the institution is persistent, as a legacy of organisational continuity, mandate and purposes. Far from being overambitious, it is also possible to understand the Controladoria-Geral da União as both part and a result of the democratization process in Brazil. In Brazil, the institutionalisation of anti-corruption is a good example of the struggle to contain corruption. However, as this study looks forward to proving, in order to succeed in this struggle, an anti-corruption institution must be persistent in the sense of organisational continuity and purposes, but this is only achieved by a constant process of change.

Research Interests

Corruption. Anti-Corruption. Governmental Accountability and Auditing. Governance. Development and Latin America.

Academic Degrees

Master of Science, MSc. – Political Science, 1997-1999 – University of Brasilia - UnB, Brasilia, DF, Brazil.
Bachelor – BSc. – Agronomy Engineer (Agronomy), 1986-1990 – Federal University of Bahia - UFBA, Cruz das Almas, BA, Brazil
Professional Specialisation – Group Training LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION & PUBLIC SERVICES (PARTICIPATORY LOCAL DEVELOPMENT) – Ryukoku University, Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto, Japan, and Japan International Cooperation Agency – JICA, Osaka, Japan, 2006.
Post Graduation - Professional Development Program –- “Etica Pública, Transparencia y Anti-Corrupción” - Campus Virtual TOP Centro de Desarrollo y Asistencia Técnica en Tecnología para la Organización Pública (Asociación Civil) y la Universidad Nacional del Litoral de Argentina UNL, 2006.

Publications

Santos, Romualdo Anselmo dos (2009). Institucionalizacao dos mecanismos anticorrupcao: da retorica ao resultado. Revista CGU 4(6):85-111
Santos, Romualdo A dos. A Lei de Responsabilidade Fiscal e o desenvolvimento do
Capital Social. Revista Controle. Tribunal de Contas do Ceara (Brasil). April,2009.
Santos, Romualdo Anselmo dos, Controle Social da Política de Saúde no Brasil. Brasilia: Universidade de Brasilia, 1999. Biblioteca Virtual sobre Corrupção: http://bvc.cgu.gov.br/handle/123456789/786
Santos, Romualdo A dos. Book Review – Bracking, Sarah. (ed). 2007. Corruption and Development. The Anti-Corruption Campaignes. Palgrave: Basingstoke. Political Studies Review. 2009, Vol. 7, 262-263
Santos, Romualdo A dos. Institutionalising Anti-Corruption: A Brazilian Case of Origin and Change. Paper presented at the 21st World Congress of Political Science, 11-16 July 2009, Santiago, Chile.
Santos, Romualdo A dos. (2008) Integração e Inteligência: Instrumentos para Prevenção e Combate à Corrupção – Honoured Mention Monograph - Escola de Contas Públicas Professor Barreto Guimarães Tribunal de Contas do Estado de Pernambuco – Brazil – Concurso de Monografias – 2008. (Integration and Intelligence: tools for preventing and combating corruption)
Santos, Romualdo A dos. Master Thesis – Controle Social da Política de Saúde no Brasil (Social Control of Health Policy of Brazil), 1999 - http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/786

Professional Affiliations

Transparência Brasil – It is a non-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to protect the public interest through the fight against corruption and the strengthening of democracy and the institutions.
SLAS – Society for Latin American Studies.
International Political Science Association – IPSA.
Associação Brasileira de Ciência Política – ABCP (Brazilian Political Science Association)
Latin American Studies Association

Other Work

Finance and Control Analyst, (1996 – present) –Controladoria-Geral da União – CGU – Brazil`s Office of Comptroller General.