LEADERSHIP STYLE OF THE FEDERAL EXECUTIVE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND ITS POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS FOR BRAZIL

Although the literature points out that there is a broad debate on governmental leadership styles in the field of intergovernmental and international relations, it is understood that theoretical and empirical studies on this subject, specifically in the context of pandemic management, are limited. The aim is to point out Jair Bolsonaro's governmental leadership style amid the Covid-19 pandemic and its implications in Brazil. As a theoretical basis, we used theories of leadership and political psychology to advance contemporary public administration to understand leadership dynamics in crises. Among the assumptions, the following stand out: 1) the style adopted by the Federal Executive in the context of the pandemic did not promote assertive policy management; 2) the possible negationism gave rise to a new type of management and; 3) Bolsonaro's leadership was directed towards the autocratic. From the documentary and content analysis, it was identified that, despite the (pre)conception that there was a leadership vacuum in the Federal Executive, the results of thisstudy highlight that, even if he was not the most efficient for the population, his leadership was directed towards a solid base of supporters, who (in)voluntarily endorsed him as a legitimate leader.