Burocracia representativa no serviço público federal: uma discussão de sua manifestação a partir do perfil e perspectiva de técnicos administrativos em educação

Abstract

Considering the assumptions of the Theory of Representative Bureaucracy, according to which the composition of the public service should reflect social diversity, this study aimed to analyze the passive and active representation among administrative and technical staff working in accounting-related positions at the Federal University of Uberlândia, considering the social markers of gender, race, and disability. The study is grounded in the understanding that diversity within bureaucratic structures constitutes a relevant element for democratic legitimacy and for the responsiveness of public institutions to social demands, based on the theoretical contributions of Kingsley (1944), Mosher (1968), and Meier (1975). Methodologically, a mixed-methods paproach was adopted. Initially, a survey of the demographic and professional profile of administrative and technical staff in the investigated institutions was conducted using administrative data, considering variables such as gender, race/color, disability, and entry through affirmative action policies. Additionally, a qualitative analysis on representativeness and inclusion was developed, focusing on professionals working in accounting-related positions, with the Federal University of Uberlândia defined as the empirical locus of the study. The results indicate progress in access to public service for marginalized groups, but also reveal the limits of passive representation and the persistence of institutional asymmetries. It is concluded that bureaucratic representativeness depends on institutional conditions that enable the transformation of numerical presence into effective inclusion practices. As a contribution, this study advances the discussion on representative bureaucracy by focusing on an occupational group that remains underexplored in the literature, integrating demographic data with the perceptions of accounting professionals, and offering insights for institutional reflections on diversity, inclusion, and personnel management in federal higher education institutions.