Rethinking Brazilian Development: The Political Economy of Democratic Brazil

Brazilian economic performance over the last three decades has lagged behind other upper middle income countries on a number of indicators, including savings, productivity, per capita growth, and inequality—and policymakers have struggled to shift course.

Despite the fact that virtually all presidents elected since 1989 have run on a promise of change, broad consensus about what is needed to achieve stronger economic growth, and hyperactive reform efforts, the economy has continued to perform less dynamically than many of Brazil’s peers. In his new book, Decadent Developmentalism: The Political Economy of Democratic Brazil, former Wilson Center fellow Matthew Taylor examines the political and institutional context that has hindered the emergence of either a more capable developmentalist state or a less interventionist market alternative in Brazil.

Join the Brazil Institute on February 24, 2021 at 2:00pm EST for discussion of the complicated relationship between democratic institutions, politics, and the economy in Brazil—and what it means for the future of Brazilian development.