Entry and Departure from the National Civil Service. Sociabilities and Expert Networks in the Initial Formation of the National Ministry of Security during the Presidency of Alberto Fernández in Argentina (2019-2021)

Abstract

This article seeks to address the conformation of the ministerial portfolio of security at the national level during the beginning of Alberto Fernández’s Government in Argentina (2019-2021). To this end, this study focused on the logics of recruitment of political-administrative agents based on the creation of the “Foro Agenda Argentina” as a central, although not unique, locus. Secondarily, this made it possible to identify the profiles of these agents. Finally, it was studied the way in which the departure of civil servants takes place during a ministerial turnover and the role of ties in this process. In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the research was conducted using in-depth interviews and the government platform. The main conclusions showed a preference for university profiles and long-standing political activists, as well as lateral access doors that escape recruitment within the think tank and that respond to technical figures. Likewise, the field studied has a differential behavior with regard to the opposition political coalition, where sociability and previous expertise are not at stake.