In Brazil, the confluence of strong global demand for the country's major products, global successes for its major corporations, and steady results from its economic policies is building confidence and even reviving dreams of grandeza—the greatness that has proven elusive in the past. Even as the current economic crisis tempers expectations of the future, the trends identified in this book suggest that Brazil will continue its path toward becoming a leading economic power in the future. Once seen as an economic backwater, Brazil now occupies key niches in energy, agriculture, service industries, and even high technology. Yet Latin America's largest nation still struggles with endemic inequality issues and deep-seated ambivalence toward global economic integration. Scholars and policy practitioners from Brazil, the United States, and Europe recently gathered to investigate the present state and likely future of the Brazilian economy. This important volume is the timely result. In Brazil as an Economic Superpower? international authorities focus on five key topics: agribusiness, energy, trade, social investment, and multinational corporations. Their analyses and expertise provide not only a unique and authoritative picture of the Brazilian economy but also a useful lens through which to view the changing global economy as a whole.

"A fascinating book exploring through authoritative analysis, innovative, well-conceived and compelling approaches the contributing forces in Brazil's economic integration with the world-economy. Enables comparative analysis of Brazil with the BRIC emerging economies and the G7 advanced industrialized countries." Bingtao Song, Dean of the School of Economics, Henan University, Kaifeng, P.R. China "Grivoyannis brings together pioneering studies by the most astute native economics scholars of Brazil. A compelling account of international economic integration, rich with detail, firmly grounded on extensive primary source data, sound scholarship, and outstanding work in delving into Brazil's role within the global economy." John Malindretos, William Paterson State University of New Jersey, USA "To understand the forces of globalization and Brazil's international economic integration you must first read this book. This is the only scholarly book available on this subject." Ni Yuan, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China Brazil is the most populous economy in Latin America with the second highest GDP among the emerging BRIC economies, after China, and the second per capita GDP among the BRIC economies after Russia. The objective of this book is to provide a thorough historical, statistical, and institutional description of the factors that affect and are affected by Brazil's international trade and integration with the world economy. It includes a most recent account of what is presently going on in Brazil and the type of economy from which Brazil is emerging. The authors use Brazil as a case study and explain both the process and the outcome of international economic integration by analyzing in each chapter a different contributing factor to the benefits and costs from Brazil's economic interdependency with the world economy. This makes the reading of this book extremely valuable. The topics addressed in this book will increase the reader's awareness of the institutional, economic, and cultural forces that shape the dynamism of Brazil's international trade and integration with the world economy, and will continue to do so in future years.

Brazil is the most populous economy in Latin America with the second highest GDP among the emerging BRIC economies, after China, and the second per capita GDP among the BRIC economies after Russia. The objective of this book is to provide a thorough historical, statistical, and institutional description of the factors that affect and are affected by Brazil’s international trade and integration with the world economy. It includes a most recent account of what is presently going on in Brazil and the type of economy from which Brazil is emerging. The authors use Brazil as a case study and explain both the process and the outcome of international economic integration by analyzing in each chapter a different contributing factor to the benefits and costs from Brazil’s economic interdependency with the world economy. This makes the reading of this book extremely valuable. The topics addressed in this book will increase the reader’s awareness of the institutional, economic, and cultural forces that shape the dynamism of Brazil’s international trade and integration with the world economy, and will continue to do so in future years.

Using a heterodox perspective, this book discusses the real possibilities of Argentina, Brazil and Mexico ever achieving economic development through industrialization. Through their discussion of the three most industrialized countries of Latin America, the contributors compare trajectories and critically analyze the transformations, challenges and development prospects of the sector at the beginning of the 21st Century. Focusing on the historical evolution of each country’s industrial sector, as well as their productivity, structural transformation, and degree of external dependence and international integration, this book will appeal to those researching the political economy, economic history, industrial organization and economic development in Latin America.

A big and bold book by a leading Brazilian public intellectual and scholar-practitioner. Whether or not one agrees with his conclusions, Bresser-Pereira reaches deep into the history of the turbulent twentieth century to set the terms for a new debate on Brazil¿s development in the twenty-first. --Matthew Taylor, American University Spanning the period from the country¿s independence in 1822 through early 2015, Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira assesses the trajectory of Brazil¿s political, social, and economic development. Bresser-Pereira draws on his decades of first-hand experience to shed light on the many paradoxes that have characterized Brazil¿s polity, its society, and the relations between the two across nearly two centuries. Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira is professor emeritus of politics and economics at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. In addition to his long academic career, he has served as Brazil¿s minister of finance, minister of federal administration and state reform, and minister of science and technology, and also as secretary of the government of the state of São Paulo.

"A fascinating book exploring through authoritative analysis, innovative, well-conceived and compelling approaches the contributing forces in Brazil's economic integration with the world-economy. Enables comparative analysis of Brazil with the BRIC emerging economies and the G7 advanced industrialized countries." Bingtao Song, Dean of the School of Economics, Henan University, Kaifeng, P.R. China "Grivoyannis brings together pioneering studies by the most astute native economics scholars of Brazil. A compelling account of international economic integration, rich with detail, firmly grounded on extensive primary source data, sound scholarship, and outstanding work in delving into Brazil's role within the global economy." John Malindretos, William Paterson State University of New Jersey, USA "To understand the forces of globalization and Brazil's international economic integration you must first read this book. This is the only scholarly book available on this subject." Ni Yuan, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China Brazil is the most populous economy in Latin America with the second highest GDP among the emerging BRIC economies, after China, and the second per capita GDP among the BRIC economies after Russia. The objective of this book is to provide a thorough historical, statistical, and institutional description of the factors that affect and are affected by Brazil's international trade and integration with the world economy. It includes a most recent account of what is presently going on in Brazil and the type of economy from which Brazil is emerging. The authors use Brazil as a case study and explain both the process and the outcome of international economic integration by analyzing in each chapter a different contributing factor to the benefits and costs from Brazil's economic interdependency with the world economy. This makes the reading of this book extremely valuable. The topics addressed in this book will increase the reader's awareness of the institutional, economic, and cultural forces that shape the dynamism of Brazil's international trade and integration with the world economy, and will continue to do so in future years.

A banking system emerged in Brazil during the early 20th century that was efficiently and productively supported by economic development. However, it also contained the seeds of its future limitations. This banking system did not equalize conditions across sectors or regions as existing theory and historiography anticipated. Deeply embedded institutional constraints limited banking's contribution to long-term development. The three most important institutional constraints were insecure property rights, continual tension between the system's public and private sector functions, and competition between the Federal State and the states. Nevertheless, the banking system was an effective tool in the consolidation of an economy of national scope during these crucial years. As a modern banking system emerged, its use in national consolidation both magnified and reflected its limitations.