Summary

This works studies the public debate about Chile’s 1887 ministerial reorganization. It begins with the debate regarding how different Balmaceda’s government economic orientation was from the elite’s. The article analyzes the administrative notions prevalent among different political actors of the period paying attention to similarities and differences in the way they conceived the tasks and the functioning of public administration. The article argues that Balmaceda’s ministerial reform sought continuity in ministerial functions and that administrative notions shared by the elites were based on two main ideas: the distinction between politics and administration and the search for stable and worthy public employees.