Federative Republic of Brasil

1
Federative Republic of Brasil
2
Background

• Area 8,511,965 sq km
• 5th largest
• 9th economy
• People
• 186 million, 1.1 growth rate, 74 Roman
  Catholic, primary language Portuguese (European
  immigrants).
• Government
• Federative Republic, independence 1822, current
  constitution 1988.
• Economy
• 619.7 billion (GDP)
• 1.579 trillion purchasing power parity
• Growth rate 2.4

3
People

• Largest population in LA, 5th largest in the
  world.
• Population centers are in South/central region.
• 81 of population urban
• Major cities Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo
  Horizonte
• Diverse ethnic and cultural heritage
• Portuguese (colonizers 16th C)
• Africans
• Other Europeans
• Tupi and Guarani speaking indigenous
• Intermarriage common
• Class distinctions - strong national
  identification low racial conflict
• Largest population of Japanese outside Japan in
  Sao Paolo

4
Colonization

• 1500 Pedro Alvares Cabral
• 1808 Dom Joao VI Rio de Janeiro
• 1821 Dom Joao VI returns to Portugal
• 1822 Dom Pedro I (son) declares independence.
• 1831-89 Dom Pedro II (son) rules
• 1888 slavery abolished by Regent Princess Isabel.
• 1889 Dom Pedro II overthrown in coup federal
  republic established.

5
Political Institutions

• Federalism in Brasil
• Central government (the union)
• Federal District elects governor and District
  Assembly (Brasilia)
• State governments (26)
• Governor, lieutenant governor, and
  representatives to unicameral state legislatures
• Local governments (Municipios 5,513)
• Mayor, vice mayor, local councils ranging in
  membership from 9-21 unless council for a city
  larger than 1 million in population then councils
  are much larger.

6
Executive

• Presidential Democracy
• President Head of State and Head of Government
• Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (2002)
• President and Vice President elected on joint
  slate
• 4 year terms with one re-election
• Powers include legislative, budgetary, emergency
  decree.

7
Legislature

• National Congress
• Balanced bicameralism
• Both have power to initiate legislation
• No clear domination of one over other
• Senate (81) 3 senators per state and Federal
  District staggered 8 year terms (every 4 years
  for 1/3 and 2/3rds).
• Chamber of Deputies (513) from all states and
  FD. Size of state wide delegation based on
  population with min/max 8-70.

8
Judiciary

• Courts constitutional mandates/rules
• 30 year service or age 70 limit
• Competitive election, promotion by seniority and
  merit
• Supreme Court
• (11 nominated by president, approved by Senate)
• Superior Court of Justice
• (33 - nominated by president, approved by Senate)
• Federal Appeals Courts (regional)
• Labor Courts
• Created in 1943 mediates between workers and
  employers (public and private)
• Electoral Courts
• 1932 check on election corruption
• Military courts
• No civilian jurisdiction
• State Courts
• Enforce state constitutions/laws

9
Electoral Systems

• Three systems
• Executives (President, Governors, Mayors gt
  200,000)
• Majority vote with runoff if no majority in first
  round.
• Senators and Mayors of Cities (lt200,000)
• First past the post (plurality rules).
• Legislatures/councils
• Open list-proportional representation
  w/multi-member districts.
• Voters can influence candidate selection.

10
2002 Elections A Dangerous Shift to the Left?

• Reasons for Lula selection
• Referendum on Cardoso administration
• Urban (and south) liberals versus rural (north)
  conservatives.
• Age gap (youth liberal)
• Lulas voters disillusioned middle class
• Outcome Workers party gained status as the
  largest delegation to the Congress 18 of the
  total (594 513 and 81).

11
Economics Neo-liberalism or Social Democracy?

• The political-economic philosophy
  de-emphasizing/rejecting government intervention
  in the domestic economy.
• Domestic focus free-market, few restrictions on
  business, and property rights.
• International focus opening foreign markets
  (using economic pressure, diplomacy, and/or
  military intervention).
• Brasilian governmental steps
• Sold state corporations, deregulated, removed
  tariffs, removed restrictions on DFI (long term
  investment by a foreign investor in enterprise
  resident in an economy other than that in which
  the foreign direct investor is based).
• Government spending as percent of GDP higher than
  NL, with increases in health and education
  (social democratic economic policy?)

12
Successes and Failures Economics

• 1968-1974 Brazilian military directed economic
  industrial shift.
• Attracted DFI
• GNP doubled
• Annual economic growth 11
• 1974 OPEC embargo crippled Brazil (80 dependent
  on foreign oil).
• Military Government response
• Foreign borrowing
• 1975 Pro-Alcohol program
• Negative interest loans to agribusiness
• Outcomes
• Indebtedness/inflation until 1994 Real Plan
  (neo-liberal reforms)
• Ethanol only (1980) cars to Flex Fuel (2006)

13
Successes and Failures Income and Education

• Income inequality severe
• Wealthiest 10 command 52 of income.
• Poorest 20 command 2 of income.
• 81 of Brazilians have television but 13 are
  illiterate.
• Only 27 million of 63 million workers pay into
  the state social security system.
• Labor force participation
• Women 44 are economically active.
• Half total work 40-48 hours/week.
• Quarter of total work more than 49 hours/week.

14
Successes and Failures Diversity and
Discrimination

• Uneven economic development across regions
• Class stratification by race and region
• Black 6
• 39 mixed race
• Parda/mulata (black-white)
• Mestica/mameluca (white-indigenous)
• Cafuza (black-indigenous)
• Indigenous
• Asian (less than 1)
• Regional underdevelopment
• Northeast (poorest, 28 of pop), North and
  Center-West (underdeveloped, rainforest, low
  population), Southeast (most developed, 43 pop,
  3/5ths national wealth), South.