Development Trajectories and Institutional Reform in Brazil: The Duality Problem Revisited in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

This essay aims at providing a novel analytical framework based on the concept of "duality" as proposed by the Brazilian economist Ignacio Rangel. In this portrayal, neoliberal policies are the consequence of the reinforcement of the dual character of the Brazilian society, which induces the economic outcomes of financialization and regression amid institutional change that (re)position class asymmetries. In this scheme, redistributive welfare state measures are of key importance to maintaining social cohesion and political support and, therefore, enabling the harmonization of these conflicting objectives in a neoliberal economic agenda. In this framework, the current Brazilian right-wing extremism and crisis is the outcome of such long-term entanglement in which democratic mediation is jeopardized. JEL Classification: B51, P16