...Brazil was colonized by the Portuguese and later by other countries around the globe in search of power. During the 16th century, it went through the process of colonization, on April 1500 by a Portuguese diplomat on their way to India for goods. Brazil first colonizers were the Native Indians in the country, at first the Indians and Portuguese worked together during harvest but later on the Portuguese decided to enslave them. Since the enslavement of Indians did not work out they turned to the African slave trade for their workforce. For the next two centuries after the discovery of Brazil, it had to deal periodically with foreign powers on the hunt for Brazil’s resources. Such countries as England, France, and Spain sought out to fight the...
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...Arianne Cerize A. Aman The Meaning of Development: Brazil and Costa Rica Economic development is the presumed solution to absolute poverty and to many of the world's other most pressing problems. But what is development, and how do we know it when we see it? The term, development, has been used in several ways. Traditionally, it was equated with growth of per capita income. Since the 1970s, other indicators of development have become widely used by development scholars and development agencies such as the World Bank. The meeting of basic needs (or, equivalently, reduction in absolute poverty), the creation of modern employment opportunities, and the achievement of a less unequal distribution of income and farmland have all become important criteria in determining the level of development. Traditional measures of growth, especially in developing countries, may be misleading in that they fail to account for the environmental destruction that often accompanies spurts in temporary and unsustainable economic growth; and economists are devising measures of the national capital stock that includes environmental wealth. The United Nations has placed both educational attainment and health standards on equal footings with per capita income as development criteria, in the widely followed United Nations Development Program human development index (HDI). Some leading development scholars, such as Amartya Sen, Denis Goulet, and Dudley Seers, have gone further. They argue that more intangible...
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...Globalization in Brazil: Poverty, Labor, and Human Rights within a Neo-Liberal Framework By: Dylan Fermante 210015071 For: Prof. Hoosiyar AP/HREQ 3010 July 14, 2010 Since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in the 70s a new framework for a global economic structure has been developing. This modern structure is an evolved form of capitalism, driven by neoliberal ideologies, which has adapted to the economic and social conditions of the current day. The recent phenomenon of globalization is in essence a modern form of global hegemony and dominance that establishes control through financial domination and capital exploitation. This paper focuses on this process of domination by examining the effects of neoliberal policies and structural reforms using the nation of Brazil as the unit of analysis. As will be discussed later in this report the government of Brazil has undergone significant structural changes over the last few decades that have resulted in an economic shift towards neoliberal policies. Policies promoting free enterprise capitalism, privatization of national assets, deregulation, tax reforms, flexible interest rates, trade liberalization and reductions in public expenditure have resulted in devastating outcomes for poor and marginalized groups within Brazil. These economic reforms have reordered government priorities resulting in cuts in social spending, worsening of wage inequality, displacement of workers, intensification of national debt and the weakening...
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...2. MEASURING CO-MOVEMENTS OF INCOME IN BRAZIL AND THE ROLE OF MACROECONOMICS In this paper we investigate the dynamics of income inequality among Brazilian states by applying the Bayesian Dynamic Factor Model described in (OTROK; WHITEMAN, 1998) and (KOSE; OTROK; WHITEMAN, 2003) to Gini indexes over the 1976-2014 period. Our results indicate that the common factor accounts for 48 percent of the Gini index co-movements; the richest states are more exposed. We found that macroeconomic stability is negatively correlated to the common factor, meaning that stability is inequality-decreasing. The deciles analysis suggests that inequality is related to lack of business cycles synchronization. Keywords: business cycles; bayesian analysis; income inequality...
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...Management of Organizations in Brazil Brazil belongs to BRIC, which is a grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, which are all deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development. According to Goldman Sachs, since the four BRIC countries are developing rapidly, by 2050 their combined economies could eclipse the combined economies of the current richest countries of the world. These four countries, combined, currently account for more than a quarter of the world's land area and more than 40% of the world’s population. Brazil is one of the countries, which are among the biggest and fastest growing emerging markets. It is now the 6th largest economy in the world after United States, China, Japan, Germany and France. This fast development is also accompanied by socio-economic changes, and more particularly to an evolution of social classes. Does Brazil really become a sustainable middle-class country? In order to answer to this problematic question, we are going to explain why the Brazilian middle-class can be qualified with the adjective « new », why it differs from middle-class existing in others developed countries and why there are some risks class C setbacks. Then, we are going to demonstrate, according to the definition of « middle-class », that Brazil owns every characteristics which allow to qualify her as a sustainable middle-class country. One of the most impressive results of Brazil's...
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...Although Latin America has faced many social, political, and economic issues within the last three centuries, inequality remains one of the most important, historical, and omnipresent aspects of the region’s culture. As Europeans took over Latin America during the time of colonization, they implemented many elitist social structures that have held strong and are evident today (Harris). Income inequality is the most visible and greatest disparity that the region faces; yet inequality between gender, ethnicities, and education remain strong and significant problems with a necessity for improvement. Inequality of wealth and disparity of power and influence are Latin American’s greatest curses and are at the root of many of the developmental, social, criminal, and political problems that continue to plague the region (De Ferranti). Since inequality has pervaded into every feature of Latin American society, it is important to measure inequality accurately in order to obstruct the causes of the discrimination and prevent new ones from beginning. The Gini Coefficient is an effective way that people indicate the inequality of a country by measuring a frequency distribution of income or wealth. Using the "Gini Index" of inequality in the distribution of income and consumption, the researchers found that Latin America and the Caribbean, from the 1970s through the 1990s, measured nearly 10 points more unequal than Asia, 17.5 points more unequal than the 30 countries in the Organization...
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...Introduction: The Fast Economic Growth of Brazil Brazil is the world’s eighth largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth largest by purchasing power parity reached $10,513 in 2010, and is the largest among South American nations and is the second largest in the western Hemisphere after the United States. [1] Despite the fast growth of economy in Brazil last decade, Brazil is still considered a country with fairly high income inequality, the high poverty ratio in the Brazilian communities hindered the substantial growth of its economy. In this paper I am going to introduce the formation of anti-poverty program in Brazil, how the program was processed, and the results of the program. I. Poverty in Brazil Poverty in Brazil is most visually seen by the various “favelas”- slums. Favelas are mostly sprawl in the country's metropolitan areas and remote upcountry regions that suffer with economic underdevelopment and below-par standards of living. [6] From WWII to year 2000, the underlying Brazil's weak growth performance is its highly unequal income distribution and the prevalence of poverty. The poverty and income inequality contribute to sluggish growth, both by constraining many households' ability to invest in human capital and to obtain financing to start small firms, as well as by contributing to the fragility of the political equilibrium. The rate of poverty is in part attributed to the country's economic inequality. In 2000, Brazil ranks among the world's highest nations...
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...Brazil under Lula: Off the Yellow BRIC Road In 2001 Goldman Sachs had created the term “BRIC” to denote the group of emerging economies with high growth potential, including Brazil, Russia, India and China. But Brazil was the underperformer of the group and had some of the worst business-environment indicators among BRIC countries. “The second Lula administration is committed to a strategy of faster economic growth and higher living standards based on investment promotion, redistributive policies and higher levels of education”. For that Lula solicited his ministers for tax-reform proposals and fiscal incentives that could boost capital investments, mostly in infrastructure, to achieve growth rates of 5% per year. During his first term Lula reduced poverty and income inequality. Lula´s cash-transfer programs reduced the number of poor people significantly and brought down the Gini coefficient of income inequality to its lowest level in recent history. Lula maintained a policy of price and exchange rate stability, increased government savings, paid off the balance owed to the IMF and managed to reduce interest rates steadily. In order to grow like China and India, Brazil would have to tackle “the Brazil cost”: * To reduce the size and importance of the informal sector * Correct some macroeconomics deficiencies (e.g the high real interest rate and a high government debt to GDP ratio) * Reduce red tape * Improve the quality of public services (e.g education...
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...Introduction Racial disparity and discrimination is not a new concept to any nation. In fact, many were built on the back of slave labor, whether the slaves were indigenous peoples or imported bodies. While many nations have undertaken measures to overcome racial disparity, others have encouraged racial democracy. Brazil, a modern and industrialized nation, suffers from racial discrimination based on their position in the world economy and built on the ideology of the past. History Brazil’s history is rife with racism and slavery, dating back to its discovery by Pedro Alveres Cabral in 1500. Brazil was originally settled with the intention of harvesting Brazilwood. However, over time the profits from that were supplanted by sugar, which soon became the major export (Phillips 117). Over a short period of time, Brazil became the leading producer of sugar in the Atlantic world. The production of all these exports meant cheap labor was needed. During this time, the Portuguese were sending between 4,000 and 5,000 slaves per year to Brazil from Angola and West Africa; by the 18th century, one million slaves had been imported (117). The continually shifting landscape meant that Brazil’s exports continued to shift. By the time the 19th century came around, Brazil’s major export was coffee as sugar production had shifted to the Caribbean Islands. The continued influx of European slaves and citizens resulted in an uneven population. European labor was generally more skilled...
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...Brazil – Country Report Introduction The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is one of a group of four emerging economies called the BRIC countries. Although struggling with social inequality and infrastructural deficits we think that Brazil is already a great world power. Also what attracted us to Brazil as a case study for this report is it’s exotic character. Not many people really know the extent of Brazil’s recent growth and improvements in social security and in overcoming poverty. We expect the labor force and operational costs to be low, like in the other emerging countries like China. However we take in to consideration higher costs involving security and bureaucracy. Chapter 1 – Short presentation of the country The Federative Republic of Brazil is the largest country in both South America and the Latin America Region. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population, with over 193 million people. It is the largest Lusophone country in the world, and the only one in the Americas. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of 7,491 km. It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas region of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay. Numerous archipelagos form part of Brazilian territory, such as Fernando...
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...Bryce Walker-Byrd Case Country: Brazil The country I have selected to for this particular case country project is Brazil. I have never visited this country, however, its abundant and fascinating qualities have always intrigued me. From the intricate cuisine to the astonishingly beautiful women it contains, Brazil seems to almost rival the United States in diversity and appeal. The country has also begun to establish itself as one of the largest economy’s in the world, ranking seventh according to the GDP. Despite all of these qualities that have furthered my desire to visit this wonderful city, I never took into account its diversity and intrigue from an agricultural perspective. With me being a business marketing major, it came as almost instinct to view Brazil from its financial and business aspects. However, in order to fully appreciate this country and its emerging financial power, one must first look at the underlining factors, such as its process of achieving agricultural sustainability. Although there is certainly a correlation between Brazil’s booming economy and its conscious efforts in achieving ultimate agricultural sustainability, this particular document will be mostly geared towards the agricultural component of this relationship. More specifically, I plan to address connection between Brazil’s pursuit of agricultural sustainability and the rising levels of deforestation and land distribution inequality occurring in the country. In order to effectively illustrate...
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...conditional cash transfer (CCT) is a type of income transfer program with the aim to reduce poverty by creating welfare programs conditional to the beneficiary’s actions. The government only transfers the money to people who meet certain conditions, which may include the enrolment of children in school, going to the doctor and receiving vaccinations, among others. Bolsa Familia is the largest conditional cash transfer in the world and it was implemented in Brazil (World Bank, 2005). and it consists in the financial aid to poor families as long as they keep their children often at school and vaccinated. The program aims to reduce poverty in the short and long term through conditional transfers of capital, which, in turn, aims to break the generational cycle of poverty from generation to generation. The elements that determine the outcome of an election change considerably depending on the country, its historical moment, social, economic and political conditions and on the candidates who intend to occupy the position. In Brazil, this dispute has been polarized in the last two decades, around two...
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...by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). However, India’s rank out of 187 countries is no better than last year’s. With a HDI value of 0.554 and a rank of 136 among 187 countries, which it shares with Equatorial Guinea, India is placed in the “medium development” category. There has been steady improvement in its HDI value, which was 0.345 in 1980. In 1950, Brazil, China and India together represented 10 per cent of the world economy, while the six traditional economic leaders of the North accounted for more than half. According to projections in the report, by 2050, Brazil, China and India will together account for 40 per cent of global output, far surpassing the projected combined production of today’s Group of Seven bloc. | | | HDI is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income indices used to rank countries in four tiers of human development. Since 2011, the UNDP report has included an inequality adjusted HDI, also known as IHDI, which attempts to include the effects of inequality on human development. The IHDI for India this year is 0.392. High gender inequality The country fails miserably on the front of gender equality. On the gender equality index, with a value of 0.610, India has one of the worst indicators in the medium human development category. For example, the country has only 10.9 per cent of seats in Parliament occupied by women. Countries like South Africa (41.1 per cent, HDI – 121), Timor-Leste (38.5 per cent, 134), Iraq...
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...strange and quite different from what you are used to in Canada. One of the major differences is that Brazil is a collectivistic culture as measured on Hofstede’s Individualism Index, in contrast to Canada’s individualistic culture (Hofstede, 2014). Brazil’s collectivist nature will have many impacts on your daily interactions, including the Brazilian importance of family, which will often be place above work priorities (Training, 2012). Brazil is also different in its communication style, which tends to be more informal and indirect than Canada’s formal and direct style. Brazil is also considered a high-context culture, therefore it is important to pay attention to what is said, how it is said, and what is not said (Suderman, 2008). Another major aspect of Brazilian culture is the importance of building relationships before commencing business. Brazilians expect to get to know their business contacts through multiple meetings, in order to establish trust, and hopefully a friendship (DiPaolo, 2006). This process may take some time as it illustrates Brazil’s Polychronic orientation, which is more relaxed (slower) in nature and where the prevailing attitude is that “things will get done in their own time” (Suderman, 2008). Brazil is also very comfortable with inequality as evidenced by their high score on Hofstede’s Power Distance Index (Hofstede, 2014). As a manager in Brazil you will be expected to take absolute responsibility and to use an authoritarian style of leadership...
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...The History of Inequality: Institutions and Citizenship Throughout history, inequalities have permeated many different societies to different extents. The exclusion of certain groups over the course of centuries and policies that favor the elite more often than not have allowed inequality to persist. Many different policies and factors result in these inequalities, so it can be difficult to narrow down which have the greatest impact, but by examining the history of different programs meant to reduce or perpetuate inequalities, it is clear that the issue of inequalities is one of policy rather than a natural state. According to de Barros, “The inequality caused by unequal opportunities is viewed by most people as fundamentally unfair” (de Barros, 27). This suggests the difference between inequality of opportunity and inequality of outcome. If there seems to be a positive correlation between these two forms of inequality, then we can claim there is something unfair about the system inherently. Furthermore, “some inequality may be tolerated, like inequality caused by differences in effort and talent, particularly when attempts to reduce it could interfere with other ethical objectives, such as privacy and individual freedom. Equality of opportunity is desirable, equality of outcomes (earnings, income, wealth) not necessarily” (de Barros, 27). For example, if a child who, because of chance and circumstance, grows up in a poor family and lacks access to a decent education as...
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