Expanding Policy Inclusivity: How State Bureaucrats’ Activism and Entrepreneurship Advanced Immigrant Rights in Brazil and Paraguay

• In Event: 20862 - Section on International Migration Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 12: Immigration Policy and Politics

Abstract

Overcoming political opposition to expand policy inclusivity can be difficult for executive bureaucrats. This is especially relevant in global South bureaucracies, where weak institutions and low autonomy constrain bureaucratic action. However, existing literature often overlooks the activism and entrepreneurship of mid-level state bureaucrats (MLSBs) operating under unfavorable political and organizational conditions. This article compares MLSBs’ efforts to advance immigrant rights laws in Brazil and Paraguay despite political resistance and low institutional autonomy. In stable periods, bureaucratic infighting over migration jurisdiction hindered these efforts. Findings suggest that MLSBs in the global South can drive legal changes to expand immigrant rights, but success depends on their ability to unite and strengthen bureaucratic autonomy.

Author

• Deisy Del Real, University of Southern California