Rafael Leite

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Affiliate Researcher

location

Bonn, Germany

rafaell@nsi.org.za

projects

Public Service Reform

Rafael Leite is a public administration expert currently holding a German Chancellor Fellowship from the Humboldt Foundation. As part of this fellowship, he is a visiting researcher at the German Research Institute for Public Administration (FÖV) in Speyer, where he is working on a project about senior civil service reform in Germany.

In addition to this, Rafael is a research fellow at both the Instituto Millenium in Brazil and the New South Institute in South Africa. He has a degree in Public Administration from FGV/EAESP and has worked with several prominent organizations, including the Lemann Foundation, Vetor Brasil, Comunitas, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Rafael’s career has also taken him to the Government of Chile and the Municipality of São Paulo. His research mainly focuses on State Modernization and Reform.

Through his work, Rafael contributes valuable insights into the development of effective public administration systems and the challenges of reform in both developed and developing countries, aligning with the NSI’s mission of promoting inclusive and sustainable governance.

Publications

Scholarly Articles

Teixeira, M. A. C., Fernandes, G. A. A., & Leite, R. (2016). When striving more and not spending more makes all the difference: The case of public health in municipalities of the state of São Paulo. Enfoque: Reflexão Contábil, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.4025/enfoque.v36i1.32467 (In Portuguese)

Book Publications

Leite, R., & Cerqueira, M. (2023). Institutional erosion in Brazil: Mechanisms for safeguarding merit-based systems at Funai, Ibama and Incra. In V. C. da S. Barros & G. S. Lotta (Eds.), República em notas. Cobogó Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.cobogo.com.br/produto/republica-em-notas-734 (In Portuguese)
Leite, R., & Cerqueira, M. (2023). Recommendations for Strengthening the Civil Service Merit System. In V. C. da S. Barros & G. S. Lotta (Eds.), República em notas. Cobogó Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.cobogo.com.br/produto/republica-em-notas-734 (In Portuguese)
Leite, R. (2022). Leaders that Transform Program: An Experimental Contribution by ENAP to the Professionalization of Senior Public Management in Brazil. In B. Santos (Ed.), Paths of innovation in the public sector (pp. 63-111). ENAP. Retrieved from https://repositorio.enap.gov.br/bitstream/1/7420/1/caminhos_da_inovacao_no_setor_publico.pdf (In Portuguese)

Policy Documents

Leite, R. O., & Chipkin, I. (2024). Beyond political discretion: Reforming South Africa’s senior civil service (NSI White Paper). New South Institute. Retrieved from https://nsi.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Reforming-South-Africas-Senior-Civil-Service.pdf
Leite, R. O., & Chipkin, I. (2024). Towards a merit-based senior civil service: Strategies for reform in South Africa (NSI Policy Brief). New South Institute. Retrieved from https://nsi.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Policy-Brief-Towards-a-Merit-Based-Senior-Civil-Service.pdf
Chipkin, I., & Leite, R. (2023). The five Cs of the contemporary crisis of government and how to overcome them. NSI Working Paper. New South Institute. Retrieved from https://nsi.org.za/publications/south-african-public-service-reform-insights/
Chipkin, I., Le Roux, M., & Leite, R. (2022). Personalising and De-Personalising Power: The Appointment of Executive Officers in Key State Institutions. Policy Brief. Johannesburg: New South Institute (NSI). Retrieved from https://nsi.org.za/publications/personalising-and-de-personalising-power-the-appointment-of-executive-officers-in-key-state-institutions/
Leite, R., & Chipkin, I. (2021). The Paradox of Reform: A response to the Ramaphosa government’s proposal for professionalising the public service. GAPP Working Paper, 1(5), 1-34. Retrieved from https://nsi.org.za/publications/the-paradox-of-reform-a-response-to-the-ramaphosa-governments-proposal-for-professionalising-the-public-service/
Lafuente, M., Leite, R., Porrúa, M., & Valenti, P. (2021). Digital transformation of Brazilian governments: Trends in digital transformation in state governments and the Federal District of Brazil (Working Paper). Inter-American Development Bank. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0003009 (In Portuguese)
Lafuente, M., Leite, R., Porrúa, M., & Valenti, P. (2021). Digital transformation of Brazilian governments: Citizen satisfaction with digital public services in the states and the Federal District (Working Paper). Inter-American Development Bank. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0003088 (In Portuguese)
Lafuente, M., Leite, R., Porrúa, M., & Valenti, P. (2021). Digital transformation of Brazilian governments: Citizen satisfaction with digital public services (Working Paper). Inter-American Development Bank. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0003058 (In Portuguese)

Additional Works

Franzese, C., Leite, R. O., & Cerqueira de Oliveira, M. (forthcoming, 2024). O dirigente público como categoria analítica: uma mesma posição, diferentes abordagens [The public manager as an analytical category: identical role, diverse conceptual frameworks]. In International Congress of CLAD on the Reform of the State and Public Administration (XXIX: 2024: Brasília, Brazil). [Article in Portuguese].
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). (2024). Taking action against corruption: A step-by-step guide by youth for youth. Edited by Johnny Morgan. Co-drafted by the members of the UNODC YouthLED Integrity Advisory Board. Retrieved from https://grace.unodc.org/grace/uploads/documents/Youthled_toolkit-optimized.pdf
Leite, R. (2024). Beyond screen time: A review of scientific literature and public policy proposals on the well-being of children and adolescents on social media. Conselho Digital. Public Policy Note 01. Brasília, DF. Retrieved from https://conselhodigital.org.br/2024/05/novo-estudo-tempo-de-tela-e-apenas-um-entre-15-fatores-que-influenciam-a-saude-mental-dos-jovens-nas-redes-diz-estudo/ [Article in Portuguese].
Cerqueira, M., & Leite, R. (2023). Motivation and innovation dynamics in Brazilian subnational governments: A comparative study between structures with different degrees of bureaucratization in the City of Caruaru and the State Government of São Paulo. In International Congress of CLAD on the Reform of the State and Public Administration (XXVIII: 2023: La Habana, Cuba). Retrieved from https://clad.org/wp-content/themes/clad/pendrive-congreso-XXVIII/pdfs/cerqumic.pdf
Leite, R., & Cerqueira, M. (2023). Recommendations for Strengthening the Civil Service Merit System (Working paper). República.org. Retrieved from https://republica.org/emnotas/conteudo/recomendacoes-para-fortalecer-o-sistema-de-merito-do-servico-publico/
Leite, R., & Cerqueira, M. (2023). Merit systems in Brazil and around the world (Working paper). República.org. Retrieved from https://republica.org/emnotas/conteudo/o-sistema-de-merito-no-brasil-e-no-mundo/
Leite, R., & Cerqueira, M. (2023). Institutional erosion in Brazil: Mechanisms for safeguarding merit-based systems at Funai, Ibama and Incra (Working paper). República.org. Retrieved from https://republica.org/emnotas/conteudo/erosao-institucional-brasileira-mecanismos-de-protecao-do-merito-na-funai-no-ibama-e-no-incra/
Leite, R., & Jellema-Butler, J. (Eds.). (2022). Architecture of Government: Conference Proceedings. Johannesburg: Government and Public Policy (GAPP). Retrieved from https://nsi.org.za/publications/architecture-of-government-conference-proceedings
Leite, R. (2021). No return to normal: Civil service reform trends in Latin America in times of COVID-19. In International Congress of CLAD on the Reform of the State and Public Administration (XXVI: 2021: Online). Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W-e_8UmYNbJl0rVjpvLVm8mK1gcxc1F7/view (In Portuguese)
Leite, R. (2020). Administration of public sector career paths in the United Kingdom and Portugal: Historical reform and hybrid experiences (Working paper). Movimento Pessoas a Frente. Retrieved from https://movimentopessoasafrente.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/201013-Reformas-no-Reino-Unido-e-em-Portugal-versao-para-o-site.pdf (In Portuguese)
Leite, R. (2020). A roadmap for public service changes? A review of international civil service reform experiences (Working paper). Movimento Pessoas à Frente. Retrieved from https://movimentopessoasafrente.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/200525-Roadmap-para-Reformas-em-GPSP-versao-para-o-site.pdf (In Portuguese)
Leite, R. (2020). Governance of central people management units: Comparative analysis of national and international experiences (Working paper). Movimento Pessoas a Frente. Retrieved from https://movimentopessoasafrente.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/200515-_-Governanca-em-Gestao-de-Pessoas-versao-para-o-site.pdf (In Portuguese)
Leite, R. (2020). Innovative mechanisms for the selection of public professionals: Review of national and international experiences (Working paper). Movimento Pessoas a Frente. Retrieved from https://movimentopessoasafrente.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/200904-Iniciativas-inovadoras-de-selecao-de-profissionais-publicos-versao-para-o-site.pdf (In Portuguese)
Leite, R. (2020). Non-conventional models of personnel employment in the public sector: A review of national and international experiences (Working paper). Movimento Pessoas a Frente. Retrieved from https://movimentopessoasafrente.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/200816-Modelos-nao-convencionais-de-contratacao-de-pessoal-no-setor-publico-versao-para-o-site.pdf (In Portuguese)
Leite, R. (2020). Classification of public employment systems: Career-based models, position-based models, and hybrid experiences (Working paper). Movimento Pessoas a Frente. Retrieved from https://movimentopessoasafrente.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/200923-Pre-leitura-sobre-sistemas-de-emprego-publico-versao-para-o-site.pdf (In Portuguese)
Leite, R., Lima, L. B., & Camargo, M. A. S. (2019). The management of young talent as a human resources innovation laboratory in governments: the case of the Public Management Trainee Program. In International Congress of CLAD on the Reform of the State and Public Administration (XXIV: 2019: Buenos Aires, Argentina). Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iFSFJKO_8dim-_l65wGO9XzThdT5rLIR/view (In Portuguese)
Rojas Wettig, M., & Leite, R. (2016). Public function challenges in the framework of work with the OECD: Chilean experience. In International Congress of CLAD on the Reform of the State and Public Administration (XXI: 2016: Santiago, Chile). Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9b8OtLsgz6aRFNSMEo0cE81UHM/view?resourcekey=0-ROYYGfgUdso5CRu6gRB8Xg (In Spanish)
Rojas Wettig, M., Belmar, F., & Leite, R. (2016). The state of the art of people’s information management systems in public administration in Chile: Diagnosis and main gaps. In International Congress of CLAD on the Reform of the State and Public Administration (XXI: 2016: Santiago, Chile). Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9b8OtLsgz6ab2U0WThIVEUySW8/view?resourcekey=0-f3yVHs4DAxRify53pHA2vA (In Spanish)