The Brazilian jeitinho: an empirical investigation into the influence of state laws on its perception

Abstract: Brazilian jeitinho is a widespread informal practice that seeks to solve a problem without necessarily considering the rules. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how individuals who relate in different ways with state laws perceive this practice. In this context of informality, Ehlich's living law was applied to analyse the jeitinho as a Brazilian type of norm of conduct. Hertogh's legal alienation theory was used to understand the degree of identification and awareness of the law among participants and to develop different normative profiles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with public servants, entrepreneurs and private sector employees. The findings indicate that there is a relationship between the perception of jeitinho and different levels of identification and awareness of the law. The use of a socio-legal approach is a novelty in research on the jeitinho that has allowed new findings on the relationship of informality and the role and rule of law in Brazilian society. The jeitinho endures because of its function in filling the gap between official institutions and everyday life of Brazilians, being an important norm of conduct recognized by them.