Article The Public Field in Brazil: Toward a multidisciplinary educational approach for the professional with multiple roles Magda L Lucio Department of Public Policy Management, Federal University of Brası ´lia, Brazil; National Associ- ation for Teaching and Research within the Public Field, Brazil Lindijane SB Almeida Department of Public Policy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; National Asso- ciation for Teaching and Research within the Public Field, Brazil Raquel MC Silveira Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil Abstract Contemporary public management in Brazil is undergoing a great deal of transformation. From the year 2008 the Brazilian Federal government has been investing in policies and planned actions that aim to expand access to Higher Education. This paradigm shift was possible through the understanding that the agenda of public problems required trained professionals with appropriate skills, able to propose plans, programs and elaborate projects, fostering the evolution and consolidation of Brazilian democracy. The changes in contemporary Brazilian public management have permitted the debate amongst researchers in the Higher Education sphere, evolving to what is conventionally known as the Public Field. This field integrates views that deal with contemporary processes that aim to change public management either at the state or non-state level, in its various Corresponding author: Raquel MC Silveira, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Av. Sen. Salgado Filho, 3000, Natal, RN, 59078-900, Brazil. Email: raquelmcsilveira@gmail.com Teaching Public Administration 2018, Vol. 36(1) 50–62 ª The Author(s) 2017 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0144739417708836 journals.sagepub.com/home/tpa