The Limits of Pragmatism: The Rise and Fall of the Brazilian Workers’ Party (2002–2016)

Loureiro, Pedro Mendes; Saad‐Filho, Alfredo

doi:10.1177/0094582x18805093

Cited by 38 publications

(31 citation statements)

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“…The administration lost the internal bourgeoisie because of the economic slowdown, perceptions that the president was excessively independent, disagreements over public policy, and the pressure of Lava Jato. The upper middle class was alienated by its own relative losses, given the gains of the rich and the poor (see Loureiro and Saad-Filho, 2019), and perceptions of generalized corruption. The administration also earned the hostility of Congress because of its unwillingness or inability to dish out targeted favors.…”

Section: Developmental Neoliberalism Under Lulamentioning

confidence: 99%

Varieties of Neoliberalism in Brazil (2003–2019)

Saad‐Filho¹

2019

Latin American Perspectives

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The main feature of capital accumulation in Brazil during the administrations led by Luís Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers’ Party—PT) was the continuity of neoliberalism of two varieties: inclusive (2003–2006) and developmental (2006–2013). The PT’s attachment to neoliberalism was mitigated by the party’s (shifting) commitment to (mild) developmental outcomes, redistribution of income (at the margin), social inclusion (within narrow limits), and democratization of the state (bounded by the 1988 Constitution). Achievements in these areas were further constrained by the inability or unwillingness of the PT to confront the institutionalization of neoliberalism in the fields of economics, politics, ideology, the media, and class relations. The political crisis unfolding in Brazil since 2013 and the imposition of authoritarian neoliberalism after Rousseff’s impeachment can be examined from the perspective of the contradictions in the dominant varieties of neoliberalism under the PT and the limitations of the party’s political ambitions. A principal característica da acumulação de capital no Brasil durante os governos ûiderados por Luís Inácio Lula da Silva e Dilma Rousseff do Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) foi a continuidade do neoliberalismo de duas variedades: inclusiva (2003–2006) e desenvolvimentista (2006–2013). O apego do PT ao neoliberalismo foi mitigado pelo compromisso (inconstante) do partido com resultados de desenvolvimento (moderados), redistribuição de renda (na margem), inclusão social (dentro de limites estreitos) e democratização do estado (limitado pela Constituição de 1988). As realizações nessas áreas foram ainda mais limitadas pela incapacidade ou falta de vontade do PT em enfrentar a institucionalização do neoliberalismo nos campos da economia, política, ideologia, mídia e relações de classe. A crise política que se desenrola no Brasil desde 2013 e a imposição do neoliberalismo autoritário após o impeachment de Dilma podem ser examinadas sob a perspectiva das contradições nas variedades dominantes de neoliberalismo sob o PT e as limitações das ambições políticas do partido.

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Section: Developmental Neoliberalism Under Lulamentioning

confidence: 99%

Varieties of Neoliberalism in Brazil (2003–2019)

Saad‐Filho¹

2019

Latin American Perspectives

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“…Between 2008 and 2013, public health and education, unemployment benefits, old age and disability pensions (Benefício de Prestação Continuada) increased from 0.40 to 0.56 per cent of GDP and conditional cash transfers (Bolsa Família) from 0.30 to 0.45 per cent (Saad‐Filho, ). The real minimum wage was increased by 27 per cent between 2006 and 2012 (Loureiro and Saad‐Filho, ). The PT also continued the distribution of vast state subsidies to civil society organizations and expanded subsidies and rural credit for small‐scale farmers.…”

Section: Post‐crisis Capital Flows and The Management Of Class Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also worth underlining that these policies did not endanger the commitment to macroeconomic orthodoxy, characterized by inflation targeting, high primary fiscal surpluses, and sterilized reserve accumulation (Ban, ; Loureiro and Saad‐Filho, ). They were non‐confrontational and, under favourable external conditions, allowed the government to deliver real gains for the poor and reduce inequalities along gendered, racialized and spatialized lines (Saad‐Filho, ).…”

Section: Post‐crisis Capital Flows and The Management Of Class Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Taming Foreign Exchange Derivatives Markets? Speculative Finance and Class Relations in Brazil

Alami¹

2019

Development and Change

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This article provides a critical interrogation of the Brazilian tax on foreign exchange derivatives deployed between 2011 and 2013. It analyses the drivers of the policy-making process that led to implementation of the measure, locates it within the broader policy response regarding the management of cross-border capital flows and speculative finance, and assesses its political economy significance in light of class dynamics. The author makes three arguments. First, this innovative policy tool must be interpreted in terms of the emergence of a specific form of state power allowing for the continuation of finance-led strategies of accumulation, while mitigating some of their worst consequences. Second, this form of state power internalizes the subordinate positionality of Brazil in the global financial and monetary system. Third, while financialization processes have eroded the efficiency of a number of policy tools, this policy experiment demonstrates the possibility of regulating complex financial markets, provided that appropriate resources are dedicated to the task, and that there is the political will to do so. The article concludes by discussing theoretical implications, for how to theorize state and financialization, as well as political implications.I would like to thank my interviewees for their openness and assistance. Thanks are also due to two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article. The usual disclaimers apply. Development and Change 50(5): 1310-1341.

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“…13. At the same time, Loureiro and Saad-Filho (2017) show the limits of the kind of pragmatic political alliance necessary to put into practice the strategy of "conciliation" promoted by the PT governments, pointing to their inability to deal with the problems arising from the external scenario and the cooling of national economic growth and preventing the approval of deeper reforms of Brazilian capitalism.…”

Section: Final Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Growth Model of the PT Governments: A Furtadian View of the Limits of Recent Brazilian Development

Rossi¹,

Mello²,

Bastos³

2019

Latin American Perspectives

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Evaluation of the growth model of the PT governments based on the contributions of Celso Furtado reveals that the recent growth cycle has alleviated the typical characteristics of underdevelopment by developing a mass consumption market and improving labor market conditions. However, the limitations of the model prevented modernizing the structure of production to sustain changes on the demand side, including labor in sectors with higher productivity, limiting the control of foreign subsidiaries, and reducing the structural vulnerability inherent in specialization in basic commodities exports. The limits of the model were aggravated by the crisis of 2008–2009, revealing the difficulty of incorporating a peripheral economy like the Brazilian into global capitalism. Uma avaliação do modelo de crescimento dos governos do PT a partir da contribuição de Celso Furtado revela que o ciclo de crescimento recente amenizou características típicas do subdesenvolvimento ao desenvolver um mercado de consumo de massa no Brasil e ao melhorar as condições no mercado de trabalho. No entanto, as limitações do modelo não permitiram modernizar a estrutura produtiva de forma a sustentar as transformações do lado da demanda, incluir a mão de obra em setores de maior produtividade, limitar o controle das filiais estrangeiras, e diminuir a vulnerabilidade estrutural inerente à especialização em exportações de commodities básicas. Os limites do modelo de desenvolvimento adotado se agravaram após a crise de 2008–2009, revelando as dificuldades de inserção de uma economia periférica como a brasileira no capitalismo global.

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The Limits of Pragmatism: The Rise and Fall of the Brazilian Workers’ Party (2002–2016)

Cited by 38 publications

References 18 publications

Varieties of Neoliberalism in Brazil (2003–2019)

Varieties of Neoliberalism in Brazil (2003–2019)

Taming Foreign Exchange Derivatives Markets? Speculative Finance and Class Relations in Brazil

The Growth Model of the PT Governments: A Furtadian View of the Limits of Recent Brazilian Development

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