Limites e possibilidades dos usos do Diário Oficial da União como fonte de pesquisa das elites burocráticas

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the limits and possibilities of using the Official Gazette (DOU) as a source of research into the professional and political paths of Brazilian bureaucratic elites based on two research reports. The DOU was inaugurated in 1862 and is linked to the National Press, being published daily on the Federal Government website. In two initial sections, we return to the concept of documentary research in the social sciences and situate the way in which the DOU works. To contribute to the understanding of the uses of the DOU as a documental source, in a third section we explore the data collection carried out in two investigations: one on the internationalization patterns of public prosecutors, Union lawyers and federal delegates; and another on assignments and requisitions of federal police officers to other public bodies. Our report allows us tostate that by taking the DOU as a research source, it becomes possible to consult a standardized documentary data matrix with a long history of publication of administrative acts. On the other hand, there is small margin for research of a qualitative nature or that seek greater depth in the investigated reality.

Keywords

• documentary research
• official gazettes of the federal government
• elites
• internationalization
• bureaucracy