Os últimos anos da reforma administrativa no Estado Novo português, 1970-1974

Abstract

This article analyses the activity of the last two coordination organizations for administrative reform of the Portuguese “Estado Novo”: the Service Directorate for Administrative Reform and the Secretariat for Public Administration. It intends to present the action of two bodies still quite unknown in historiography. In addition, this article aims to explore the link between their objectives and both the political priorities of the regime and the economic and social context of the second phase of Marcello Caetano’s government. It is argued that the evolution of their activities varies according to the context of the last years of “Estado Novo”. The social and economic crisis of the 1970s and the changes in the “marcelist” field would eventually dictate both a renewed focus on administrative reform and its emptying. In the end, it asks if a possible misinterpretation of the concept of administrative reform could be responsible for the notion of failure with which it is identified.

Keywords

• Portugal
• public administration
• New State
• economic planning
• administrative reform