The research line develops theoretical and empirical studies on the State, public management, and public policies under different theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. The line prioritizes studies on the state and public management in contemporary times, bureaucracy, the Brazilian state, federalism, social policies, public policy evaluation, theories on state and government, public policy theory and analysis, public policies in a comparative perspective, and intergovernmental relations, among others.

This research line is articulated in two axes: (a) The configuration of political institutions in a comparative perspective, with investigation on rules, processes, policies, and the interaction patterns between the powers, as well as between them and the citizens and government, federalism, Executive-Legislative relations, parties in the organizational, electoral, legislative, and governmental arenas, government offices and coalitions, and the impact of electoral systems on the representative framework; (b) Analysis of international politics with an emphasis on contemporary globalization and regionalization processes; the insertion of the nation-state in the international system; and the formats assumed nowadays for interactions between the main actors of contemporary societies, such as national states, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

This research line includes a wide thematic range, with emphasis on: (a) the study of electoral behavior in its various dimensions, such as the effects of the campaign, the dynamics of public opinion, partisanship, and economic voting; (b) research in the area of political culture, including classic themes such as democratic legitimacy, with an emphasis on Latin American reality; (c) investigations focused on politics as an argumentative phenomenon, especially in relation to political persuasion, political communication, and the impact of the communicational flow on political behavior; (d) the study of political psychology considering a broad thematic spectrum, such as information processing, the structure and properties of the political attitude, and the decision-making process.

This research line develops theoretical and empirical studies from different perspectives and methodological approaches about the different forms of collective participation, the relationships between different political actors and their different forms of action (institutional or not). This line is also concerned with the impact of these participatory practices at the subjective, corporate, and institutional levels, and consequently with the possible changes in the political coexistence patterns in contemporary societies. In this sense, the line encompasses (without being restricted to) the following study topics: (a) democratic theories; (b) participatory and deliberative approaches to democracy; (c) institutional design and participatory and representative dynamics in democratic innovations; (d) social movements, collective action, conflicts, and protests; (e) public management and participation; (f) digital democracy and online participation; (g) language, discourse, and public policies.

This research line welcomes theoretical and empirical investigations dedicated to understanding political actions aimed at achieving freedom, questioning injustices, and promoting rights. It embraces a diversity of themes and multiple approaches on freedom, justice, and citizenship, emphasizing the centrality of feminist and gender discussions, as well as those related to racism and overcoming it in contemporary debates about democracy and republics. It also seeks theoretical dialogue between the great political traditions of Modernity and forming matrixes of democratic republicanism, democratic liberalism, and democratic socialism in Brazil through the study of its classic and contemporary authors. The following topics of interest to the research line stand out: (a) theories of justice and freedom; (b) political conflicts aimed at promoting freedom and justice; (c) access to justice and contemporary demands for citizenship rights; (d) critical reflections and research on the public interest and the republic; (e) feminism and gender studies in a critical and emancipatory perspective; (f) theories of recognition, redistribution, and representation; (g) classic and contemporary theories of republicanism and democratic socialism.