History of Public Administration

Code:

CINF014

Acronym:

HAP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	History

Instance: 2025/2026 - 2S

Active?	Yes
E-learning page:	https://moodle.up.pt/
Responsible unit:	Department of History, Political and International Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor of Arts in Information Science

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
CINF	82	Study plan	1	-	6	41	162
HISTO	1	Study plan	3	-	6	41	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students
Obs.: Português

Objectives

• Understand the structure and functioning of the main administrative institutions over time;


• Identify the causes, processes, and impacts of reforms in public administration;


• Develop the ability to analyse and compare different historiographical perspectives on public administration;


• Understand the current organisation of public administration and identify contemporary challenges;


• Identify and understand the vocabulary and operative concepts related to public administration in the long term;


• Develop analytical skills concerning historical sources and administrative processes.

Learning outcomes and competences

By the end of this course unit, students will be able to:

• Identify and explain the main phases, structures, functioning, and transformations of central, peripheral, and local administrative institutions across different historical periods;
• Compare different historiographical approaches to a given topic;
• Discuss the main reforms and changes in Portuguese public administration over the long term;
• Research and select primary and secondary sources;
• Critically analyse historical sources and processes;
• Describe, evaluate, and communicate (both orally and in writing) historical data related to public administration;
• Participate in an informed and well-founded manner in discussions and debates on public administration reforms and challenges in different historical periods.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Not applicable.

Program

1. Introduction to the History of Public Administration in Portugal
1.1 Historiographical perspectives
1.2 Jurisdictions and law
1.3 Administrative divisions
 
2. From the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period
2.1 Plurality of powers and normative orders
2.2 The Cortes and the representation of the kingdom
2.3 Central administration: royal court, court tribunals, councils
2.4 Peripheral administration of the Crown
2.5 Local administration
 
3. From Liberalism to the First Republic
3.1 From the Cortes to municipal councils
3.2 Constitutions
3.3 Secretariats and ministries
3.4 Elections
3.5 Reorganisation of local administration
 
4. The Cooperative Administration during the Estado Novo
 
5. The Structure of Portuguese Public Administration Today
5.1 Structure and organisation
5.2 Contemporary challenges
4.2 Contemporary challenges

Mandatory literature

Cunha, Mafalda Soares da e Fonseca, Teresa (eds); Os municípios no Portugal moderno: Dos forais manuelinos às reformas liberais, Publicações do CIDEHUS, 2005. ISBN: 978-972-772-526-7
Hespanha, António Manuel; As vésperas do Leviathan. Instituições e poder político em Portugal no século XVII, Almedina, 1994. ISBN: 9789724007823
Hespanha, António Manuel; História das instituições (épocas medieval e moderna), Almedina, 1982
Oliveira, César (dir); História dos municípios e do poder local. Dos finais da Idade Média à União Europeia, Círculo de Leitores, 1996. ISBN: ISBN: 972-756-071-3
Silveira, Luís Nuno Espinha da; Território e poder. Nas origens do Estado contemporâneo em Portugal, Patrimonia Histórica, 1997. ISBN: 972-744-021-5
Bonifácio, Maria de Fátima; Estudos de História Contemporânea de Portugal, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, 2007. ISBN: 9789726711964
Caetano, Marcello; studos de História da Administração Pública Portuguesa, Coimbra Editora, 1994. ISBN: 9789723206449
Capela, José Viriato et al. (coord); O Município Português na História, na cultura e no desenvolvimento regional, Universidade do Minho, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, 1998. ISBN: 9729589860
Caeiro, Joaquim Croca; História da Administração Pública portuguesa, vols. 1 e 2, Edições ISCSP
Tomás, Ana, Valério, Nuno; Autarquias locais e divisões administrativas em Portugal: 1836-2013, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão – GHES. Documento de trabalho/Working Paper

Comments from the literature

Throughout the semester, specific bibliographic references for the various modules of the programme will be indicated and made available. The readings that serve as the basis for the guided debates are mandatory. Therefore, students are expected to dedicate some hours of autonomous study each week to prepare for the classroom debates (see assessment components). As such, the documents made available on the course's Moodle platform are mandatory for consultation; the student is required to be familiar with them and cannot claim ignorance of their content.

Teaching methods and learning activities

The classes will be theoretical-practical. In each of the modules, the lecturer will give a presentation on the different topics, outlining their general lines, authors, and different historiographical debates. In the classes, graphic, statistical, and cartographic material will be used. The lecturer's presentation will not preclude the participation of the students, who will be encouraged to take part in the questions launched for discussion. Additionally, a critical and reflective approach to the topics covered in the course will be adopted. For each module, a supporting text will be indicated, which students must read beforehand, first individually and then in groups, in order to consolidate the programmatic content and prepare for the in-class discussion of the text. The texts and sources to be discussed will be previously indicated by the lecturer and made available on the course's Moodle. The debate surrounding the weekly readings will be moderated by the lecturer, according to the rules established in the document regarding in-class debates, available on Moodle. Some research exercises will also be carried out throughout the semester, to equip students with the necessary skills to acquire knowledge autonomously.

keywords

Humanities > History > Social history
Humanities > Information science > Documenttion
Humanities > History > Local history
Humanities > History > History of law
Humanities > History > Political history

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	60,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	10,00
Trabalho escrito	30,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	87,00
Frequência das aulas	40,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	5,00
Trabalho escrito	30,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Mandatory attendance of 75% for all teaching/learning modalities for students without special status.

Calculation formula of final grade

FG = GA + OP + EX

 

FG (Final Grade)

GA (Group Assignment): 30%

OP (Oral Presentation of the written assignment) = 10%

EX (Exam) = 60%

 

Important: All assessment components (written assignment, oral presentation, and exam) are mandatory for the completion of the Course Unit. Students must obtain a minimum grade of 8.5 (out of 20) on the course exam. Please note that students will not be considered to have passed if their exam grade is below 8.5, even if the weighted average of all assessment components is a passing grade. Students should consult the document available on Moodle, which stipulates the rules for the written assignment and the oral presentation, as well as the schedule for the different stages of the assignment.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Students with special status, including Working Students, must contact the instructor at the beginning of the academic year to arrange alternative assessment components to replace the written assignment and the oral presentation. For Students with Special Educational Needs, the guidelines provided by the Support Centre for Inclusion will be followed.

Internship work/project

Not applicable.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

The assessment is identical for all students, except where strictly required by law. The course will follow the schedules for special assessment exams. All students must comply with the modalities and assessment criteria outlined.

For Students with Special Educational Needs, the guidelines provided by the Support Centre for Inclusion will be followed. Students subject to special assessment regimes may request specific support.

Classification improvement

Grade improvement is only possible through retaking the exam.