Brazilian Economic Development Research Articles

Municipal Plenty, Municipal Poverty, and Brazilian Economic Development, 1836–1850

Municipalities in nineteenth-century Brazil bore the responsibility for providing public services that enhanced economic exchange, particularly physical infrastructure that facilitated the circulation of goods and services. Therefore, the question of whether the resources to pay for these services were abundant or scarce matters greatly to our understanding of Brazil’s history of economic development and socioeconomic inequality. Although ex ante budgets regularly predicted financial abundance, ex post financial statements repeatedly reported chronic deficits and financial instability. In the face of unanticipated revenue shortfalls, municipalities cut investments in essential public infrastructure, thereby dampening domestic economic exchange and perpetuating municipal poverty.

The ‘disguised’ foreign investor: Brands, trademarks and the British expatriate entrepreneur in Brazil

This article examines the impact of the British expatriate entrepreneur, and his processes of knowledge transfer, on the industrialization and economic development of Brazil between 1875 and 1914. It focuses on the textiles industry, and combines original trademark data with conventional trade and investment statistics, and also case study analysis about firms and their entrepreneurs. It argues that British investment in Brazil was higher and had a deeper impact on economic development than considered by existing research, as expatriate entrepreneurs ‘disguised’ a substantial amount of foreign investments by acting as shareholders and top managers of newly established local businesses.

Impactos das rendas não-agrícolas sobre os indicadores de pobreza FGT para as famílias rurais pernambucanas

The high incidence of poverty and the great imbalances in socioeconomic conditions of individuals residing in rural areas of the states of the Northeast, are the subject of study when it seeks to understand the different geographical dynamics of Brazilian economic development. From the 90s, even the positive developments in the economic performance of the country and the great economic transformations that have occurred in the last two decades, it was observed that the progress in reducing social problems in the rural Northeast were much lower than the other regions. The objective is to show the effects of non-agricultural incomes of the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke poverty indices (FGT) for rural households in the state of Pernambuco using the propensity score matching methodology (PSM). According to the observed results, the average impact of non-farm incomes on agricultural exclusively to R$ 177.93 and R$ 180.40 for the two pairing methods used; the proportion of poor fell more than 24 percentage points; the poverty gap is reduced on average by 27 percentage points and the severity of poverty decreases more than 22 percentage points.

Urban impacts due to barrier effect caused by road duplication: The case of Goianinha/RN in Brazil

Abstract Duplication of federal highways are seen as essential to the economic development of Brazil, promoting agility in displacements of cargo and people between states and regions. This article analyzes the urban impacts of these road duplications in residents of a small town (Goianinha / RN), trying to see if the benefits of the project were absorbed by the adjacent population of the highway, or if the duplication caused more disadvantages than advantages to residents.

The Dilemmas of the Developmental State: Democracy and Economic Development in Brazil

Abstract Is it possible to reconcile one of the institutional strategies to promote development, known in the literature as “the developmental state”, with contemporary democratic systems of government? If so, what are the challenges, trade-offs and potential gains that such an effort may entail? The vast literature on “the developmental state” claims that it is more likely to succeed under autocratic regimes. While a “democratic developmental state” seems possible in theory, there is very little empirical evidence to show how it would work in practice. This article tries to contribute to this debate by analyzing the case of Brazil, a country that transitioned from a military dictatorship to a democratic regime in the late 1980s, and has been moving towards increasing state interventionism since 2002. While the policies implemented by the “New Developmental State” in Brazil have been explored in the academic literature, their democratic dimensions remain unchartered. There has not been a detailed analysis about how the autocratic features that characterized the developmental states in Latin America from the 1950s to the end of the 1980s (i. e. political exclusion of the majority of groups, and control of economic policies by an elite) have played out in its renewed version. Understanding the interactions between the New Developmental State and the democratic system not only allows for a better understanding of the Brazilian case, but it also sheds light on one of the most important theoretical questions raised by the development literature: is a democratic developmental state possible? Based on the Brazilian case study, we argue that it is not hard to reconcile “the developmental state” with a thin conception of democracy, i. e. with free and fair elections. In contrast, the picture is more complex if the question is whether it is possible to reconcile developmental policies with a thicker conception of democracy that includes demands for transparency, protection of minority groups, a system of checks and balances, and due process. To develop this argument, this article is divided in three parts. In the first part, we provide an overview of the literature, outlining the concept of developmental state, and the tensions that the developmental state policies may create in a democratic setting. In the second part, we focus on the Brazilian case (the “new developmental state”), exploring how these tensions played out in three concrete settings: industrial policy, infrastructure sectors, and social policies. In the third part, we identify some of the research implications of the challenges identified in the Brazilian case, especially for future law and development scholarship.

Critiquing the Bank: 60 Years of BNDES in the Academy

AbstractThis article offers a critical analysis of scholarship produced about Brazil's Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) since its founding, in 1952, to 2013. BNDES has performed an important, if changing and sometimes controversial, role in Brazil's economic development over the past 60 years, especially as provider of long-term finance. This analysis of almost 1,000 texts highlights discussions about its initial organisation and mission and how the role and activities of the bank changed over time, guided by turbulent national political and economic contexts. In spite of the bank's institutional importance, however, the literature is more narrative than analytical and of limited scholarly impact, dominated as it is by the bank's authorship. We argue for independent, evidence-driven, critical analyses of the effectiveness of this important institution in promoting Brazil's economic and social development.

Séries de animação, indústria criativa e consumo de bens culturais

Este artigo é um breve estudo do processo de produção de bens culturais nas Indústrias Criativas a partir da análise da produção de séries de animação e da identificação do público espectador com a série, a qual acaba sendo determinante para o consumo de produtos relacionados a esta, mostrando o quanto o público é decisor do sucesso de uma série e afastando os estudos no campo da indústria criativa da análise crítica e pessimista que fora proposta pela Escola de Frankfurt, mostrando assim, a importância da produção de bens culturais para o desenvolvimento social e econômico do país.Cartoon series, creative industry and consumption of cultural goodsAbstractThis article is a brief study of cultural goods production process in the Creative Industries from the analysis of the cartoon series production and identification of the viewing public with the series, which ends up being decisive for the consumer products related to this, showing how the audience is decision-maker of the success of series and away the studies in the field of Creative Industry from critical and pessimistic analysis that was proposed by the Frankfurt School, showing the importance of the production of cultural goods for social and economic development of Brazil.

Aplicar ou Não Aplicar, Eis a Questao: O Desenvolvimento Sustentável como Solução da Antinomia na Aplicação do Novo Código Florestal

Partindo-se da premissa constitucional brasileira, por meio da qual, o desenvolvimento econômico, assim como o desenvolvimento social, deve primar pela manutenção da qualidade ambiental para as atuais e futuras gerações (artigo 225, caput), o presente estudo sugere um possível indicador para solucionar a antinomia relacionada à aplicabilidade ou não do Novo Código Florestal (Lei 12.651 de 25 de maio de 2012) aos termos de ajustamento de condutas firmados antes de sua vigência, cujas obrigações pactuadas devem ser cumpridas após a sua vigência. Aplicar ou não aplicar, eis a questão. Se de um lado, postulam-se a favor da tese da vedação ao retrocesso ambiental, de outro, destaca-se a concessão de incentivos como propulsão de condutas protetivas e a factual efetividade social da norma agora vigente. Utilizando-se dos métodos de abordagem dialético e sistêmico, com apontamentos empíricos, elenca-se o direito fundamental ao desenvolvimento sustentável como responda ao contraste da linguagem jurídica indicada no problema metodológico.

The sources for orthodox and heterodox trade and industrial policies in Brazil

ABSTRACT: The Brazilian government has over the past years promulgated a mix of orthodox and heterodox policies for Brazil's economic development. This paper seeks to test whether the existing economic ideas have been prescriptive in formulating the policies, or whether they have been the outcome of the "infusion of private interests" (Katzenstein, 1978) in the policy making process. To this end, the paper charts the origins of the unilateral opening for trade in the agribusiness and contrasts them with the policy process in the car industry, where trade barriers have been erected. The article will identify the channels through which private actors informed the government's interventions and show that the industry bodies have largely prodded the government. The resulting policy maze has left both the representatives of the orthodox as well those of the heterodox approach unsatisfied and has failed to halt Brazil's dwindling manufacturing capabilities.

Brief considerations on the conflict between public environmental protection and economic development policies and their consequences for energy expansion in Brazil

The present paper aims to make brief considerations on the planning of the energy infrastructure, Brazilian economic development and the environment. This analysis will be conducted based on the conflicting public policies for economic development and environmental protection. This conflict brings difficult to plan the expansion of the Brazilian energy sector efficiently, reduces the competitive capacity of the country and does not provide adequate environmental protection. The most serious problem concerning the clash between economic development and environmental protection is deciding, while striving for maximum efficiency, which would cause more harm to society and should be avoided. In the Brazilian legal system between economic development and environmental protection, the Brazilian state will always come down on the side of the environment. Considering the proposed goals, the study will involve the consultation of documents and the literature in addition to exploratory research.

From the Stamps to the Bubble

The introductory text foregrounds the article “From the Stamps to the Bubble” (1968) by Brazilian historian and curator Aracy A. Amaral. It seeks to locate the primary document within a broader historiography of Brazilian art in the second half of the 1960s, and examine the ways in which the military dictatorship, along with certain cultural exchanges facilitated by Brazil's economic development in this period affected artistic production. Placing particular attention on the multiple terminologies that were in use when the article was written, the introduction focuses on the contiguities of Pop Art in the Brazilian cultural milieu. It argues that Pop was present inasmuch as it inspired artists to initiate a process of radical experimentation, which empowered them to depart from an avant-garde tradition founded on geometric abstraction.

Popau, Pop, or an “American Way of Living”? An Introduction to Aracy Amaral's “From the Stamps to the Bubble”

Abstract The introductory text foregrounds the article “From the Stamps to the Bubble” (1968) by Brazilian historian and curator Aracy A. Amaral. It seeks to locate the primary document within a broader historiography of Brazilian art in the second half of the 1960s, and examine the ways in which the military dictatorship, along with certain cultural exchanges facilitated by Brazil's economic development in this period affected artistic production. Placing particular attention on the multiple terminologies that were in use when the article was written, the introduction focuses on the contiguities of Pop Art in the Brazilian cultural milieu. It argues that Pop was present inasmuch as it inspired artists to initiate a process of radical experimentation, which empowered them to depart from an avant-garde tradition founded on geometric abstraction.

Análise da influência do capital estrutural no sucesso de startups incubadas: uma pesquisa com 21 empreendedores

Promoting the development of new companies has been a vast field research. We observed that the initiative permeates many sectors of the economy, starting by the entrepreneur, reaching support from government, funding agencies, universities and business incubators. Currently in Brazil, exists a network of organizations, among which ANPROTEC and SEBRAE that, together with incubators, has sought to create an environment in which new companies can emerge and develop, where knowledge and intellectual capital should be strengthened. In this sense, the main objective of this research was to analyze the influence of structural capital in the success of incubated startups. The creation of startups has been increasingly recognized as an important element for Brazil's economic development. Structural capital is one of the components of intellectual capital and has as examples the physical and technological infrastructure of a company. In this context there is a lack of scientific studies demonstrating the Structural Capital (SC) relation with incubated startups success. At the development phase, SC constructs in incubated startups and identification of the criteria for SC analysis in incubated startups were determined. At empirical phase, we validated the instrument with six incubators managers from the South of Brazil and conducted an interview with 21 incubated startups, which 04 of them were unsuccessful, 06 graduated and 11 incubated. It was possible to identify how Structural Capital influences the successful incubated startups, especially with regard to the physical and technological support from the incubators.

Assessment of the Economic Structure of Brazilian Agribusiness.

This paper presents an economic assessment of Brazilian agribusiness and its relationship with other economic sectors. It was found that, in 2011, agribusiness had a share of 18.45% (basic prices) and 19.77% (market prices) of Brazilian GDP. The tax burden of agribusiness (20.68%) was higher than that of other sectors (13.59%), despite agribusiness being a major contributor to the generation of foreign exchange, employment, and essential products, such as food. Brazilian agribusiness is a major employer, responsible for 29.39% of national employment. However, its average income is lower than in the other sectors of the Brazilian economy. Finally, agribusiness was found to be the biggest generator of foreign exchange, with a positive balance of trade. It was possible to conclude that agribusiness forms a strong link between agriculture and livestock, industry, and services in other economic sectors. For this reason, it can be said that the development of agribusiness is highly relevant to the process of Brazilian economic development and is therefore important to the progress of economic policies.

SUBDESENVOLVIMENTO E ESTAGNAÇÃO NA AMÉRICA LATINA, DE CELSO FURTADO

Resumo O artigo efetua uma apresentação do modelo estagnacionista de Celso Furtado (1965/1966), bem como da estrutura e argumentos gerais do livro Subdesenvolvimento e Estagnação na América Latina , de 1966. Propõe-se que o modelo estagnacionista de Furtado envolve uma reexposição de seu modelo clássico de desenvolvimento econômico do Brasil, a qual envolve a utilização do acelerador. Se as conclusões estagnacionistas são controversas no que se refere aos impasses da diversificação da estrutura industrial latino-americana e brasileira nos anos 1960, a apresentação do modelo representa um acréscimo ao modelo histórico-estrutural de Furtado e contribui para o entendimento dos recursos analíticos do autor. O livro de 1966 contém ainda valiosas contribuições sobre política brasileira, consequências da penetração do capital industrial internacional e impactos sobre a distribuição de renda.

Contract Archaeology and Indigenous Peoples: Reflections on the Brazilian Context

The Brazilian government economic development program has intensified the disrespect for indigenous peoples in Brazil. In reaction they are mobilizing to ensure their self-determination in managing their lands and cultural heritage. At this conjuncture the collaborative research with indigenous peoples has increased especially within the context of contract archaeology. I will examine how some of these researches have been performed and the context in which they operate. I will reflect on these practices with regard to the notion of collaboration in a context where conflicts of interest are the reason of the archaeological research.

NOVA LEI DOS PORTOS: DESAFIOS JURÍDICOS E PERSPECTIVAS DE INVESTIMENTOS

A situação dos portos brasileiros tem sido identificada como um dos principais entraves para o desenvolvimento econômico do Brasil. Atribui-se esse problema, preponderantemente, aos altos custos e à pouca eficiência nas operações portuárias. Recentemente, com a ediçã da nova Lei dos Portos, foi estabelecido um novo marco regulatório para o setor portuário brasileiro, buscando dar maior agilidade às transações e modernizar o setor. Os arrendamentos portuários passaram a ser regulados de forma semelhante a uma concessão de serviço público, enfatizando-se parâmetros de desempenho e a regulação tarifária. A nova legislação traz importantes inovações, como o critério de julgamento nas licitações de arrendamentos, a não obrigatoriedade de pagamento de valor de outorga para a assunção das áreas e a maior facilidade para o estabelecimento de portos privados. O objetivo deste artigo é investigar os principais desafios jurídicos trazidos por essas inovações e como elas se adequam à estrutura requerida para um melhor funcionamento dos portos e para as perspectivas de investimentos no setor. Inicialmente, será abordado o processo de conversão da MP n. 595/2012 na lei n. 12.815/2013, enfatizando os principais pontos de debate e interesses em jogo que motivaram as alterações ao projeto de lei na fase do veto presidencial. Em seguida, será investigada a natureza jurídica dos arrendamentos portuários, analisando em que medida eles se aproximam do modelo de concessões de serviços públicos. No item seguinte, serão apontadas as modificações na competência do poder concedente e dos demais entes envolvidos na regulação do setor portuário. Serão analisadas, ainda, as mudanças no critério de julgamento das licitações dos arrendamentos e seus principais impactos. Por fim, serão feitas algumas observações a respeito da situação dos terminais de uso privativo. Concluiu-se que a nova Lei dos Portos, além de conferir aos arrendamentos portuários o mesmo tipo de regulação típica da concessão de serviços públicos, também prioriza a agilidade e o baixo custo das operações, trazendo perspectivas de crescimento para o setor, embora seu impacto exato seja incerto. O campo de estudo é o direito regulatório e o método utilizado foi o indutivo.

Discrepant trends in income, drinking, and alcohol problems in an emergent economy: Brazil 2006 to 2012.

To examine the association between increases in income and self-reported alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and alcohol problems in 2006 and 2012 in Brazil. Participants were interviewed as part of 2 multistage representative cluster samples of the Brazilian household population between November 2005 and April 2006 and between November 2011 and March 2012. The number of current drinkers during these 2 intervals (n=1,379 and n=1,907, respectively) comprised the sample analyzed. Four past-year outcome variables-standard drinks per week, binge drinking, presence of alcohol-related social/health problems, and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD)-were estimated across income, age, and gender groups. Regression models were estimated to evaluate these and other sociodemographic effects on drinking and problem outcomes and to test for possible wave by income interactions. Response rates were 66.4% in 2006 and 77% in 2012. Income increases were seen in virtually all age-gender subgroups and were particularly pronounced for younger age groups and older women. Both genders reported increased drinks per week (men: 12.82, 2006; 15.78, 2012; p<0.01; women: 4.89, 2006; 7.66, 2012; p<0.001) and proportion binge drinking (men: 57%, 2006; 66%, 2012; p<0.05; women: 39%, 2006; 48%, 2012; p<0.05), although this was not seen in all gender and age groups. Social/health problem prevalence decreased among men (37%, 2006; 26%, 2012; p<0.001) and remained the same among women (13%, 2006; 14%, 2012). DSM-5 AUD decreased among men (34%, 2006; 24%, 2012; p<0.01) and remained stable among women (14%, 2006; 16%, 2012). Brazilian economic development between 2006 and 2012 led to a rise in income in several gender and age groups. Although not always directly associated with an observed increase in alcohol consumption, the rise in income may have created a sense of optimism that inhibited a rise in alcohol-related problems.

Sustainable development for whose benefit? Brazil's economic power and human rights violations in the Amazon and Mozambique

The Brazilian government, led for two consecutive terms by the socialist Partido Trabalhadores (Worker's Party), is enabling an overwhelmingly state-funded public–private partnership (PPP) to perpetrate human rights abuses against indigenous peoples and riparian communities in its Amazon region. This article considers the human cost of facilitating an explicitly neoliberal form of economic development for the benefit of large corporations – the primary vehicle through which states grow and develop their economies. It will also show how the world's second-largest transnational mining company, Brazilian Vale SA, undermines human rights and positive state obligations in Mozambique, in exploiting the coal reserves there. The article frames this complex scenario within the business and human rights discourse, with an emphasis on the political economy of human rights violations. It first defines the role of the corporation within neoliberalism, then assesses whether international human rights law is able to prevent corporate human rights violations, or violations of the rights of specially protected indigenous citizens. This article concludes that Brazil's economic development policy and the actions of its leading transnational corporation – due to extensive allegations of human rights violations at home and abroad – are inimical to the principles of truly sustainable development.

The Global Future of Higher Education and the Academic Profession: The BRICs and the United States

1. The Prospects for the BRICs: The New Academic Superpowers? P. Altbach 2. Higher Education, the Academic Profession, and Economic Development in Brazil S. Schwartzman 3. Changing Realities: Russian Higher Education and the Academic Profession G. Androushchak, Y. Kuzminov & M. Yudkevich 4. India: Streamlining the Academic Profession for a Knowledge Economy N. Jayaram 5. The Chinese Academic Profession: New Realities M. Wanhua and W. Jianbo 6. The Changing American Academic Profession M. Finkelstein and K. Iglesias