Barry Ames is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Comparative Politics Emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of Political Survival: Politicians and Public Policy in Latin America and The Deadlock of Democracy in Brazil; coauthor of Persuasive Peers: Social Communication and Voting in Latin America; editor of the Routledge Handbook of Brazilian Politics; and author of articles in many political science journals. He specializes in political economy, electoral systems and legislative behavior, social context and political behavior, and bureaucracy.

João V. Guedes-Neto is Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. His research concentrates on the individual-level dynamics of bureaucratic politics, coordination problems, the politics of policy implementation, and other aspects of intergroup relations. His work has appeared in outlets such as Comparative Political Studies, Party Politics, and Policy & Society.