Authoritarian Capitalism: Brazil's Contemporary Economic and Political Development

During the past decade, the potential offered by Brazil's size, resources, and location has begun to be realized. There are, however, a number of international and domestic obstacles to the country's continued development, as indicated by its extreme inflation rate and its foreign indebtedness. There are also serious questions about the social and political results of the Brazilian approach to development: Brazil has become something of a test case for whether the Western, or capitalist, orientation can achieve development in more than strictly economic terms. Emphasizing key aspects of Brazil's economy, politics, and society, the authors present an overall analysis of the present system and provide a base from which to assess Brazil's future development.

Also of Interest -- Foreword -- Introduction -- The Paradise That Never Was: The Breakdown of the Brazilian Authoritarian Order -- Public Enterprises in Brazil and Mexico: A Comparison of Origins and Performance -- State Enterprise and the Distribution of Income: Brazil and Peru -- Collectivized Capitalism: Integrated Petrochemical Complexes and Capital Accumulation in Brazil -- The Exchange and Absorption of Technology in Brazilian Industry -- State Entrepreneurship, Energy Policy, and the Political Order in Brazil -- Brazilian Foreign Policy: Options in the 1980s -- Brazil in 1980: The Emerging Political Model -- The Labor Movement and the Crisis of the Dictatorship in Brazil -- The Ethic of Umbanda and the Spirit of Messianism: Reflections on the Brazilian Model