Development in Brazil (1900-2019): defining the agrarian-export, developmental and expansionist paths

Abstract

Since the promulgation of the Federal Constitution of 1988, Brazil has experienced a process of poverty reduction, increased coverage of public services and strengthening of institutions. At the same time, its economy underwent de-industrialization, with the tertiary sector (especially low-complexity services) and the primary sector gaining in importance. This reality constituted a limiting factor for the social inclusion of Brazilians. We built the thesis that an "expansionist road" was created in the country, characterized by the expansion of social spending and the financial costs of the public debt, a contradiction resolved for a while with the expansion of the tax burden. This "path" would have replaced the "developmentalist path", not necessarily in a subsequent way, with a hiatus in the 1980s. tax burden than the rich). From the point of view of social policies, we believe that an incremental paradigm has prevailed, including aggregating focal and universalist solutions to the problem of combating social exclusion, incorporating specific and successive improvements in the Brazilian framework for combating poverty and social inclusion. In this sense, we seek to conclude our reflections by considering that it will be necessary to re-discuss the bases of Brazilian economic and social development so that taxation can act as a redistributive mechanism, so that there is financial sustainability of social protection policies, as well as it will be essential to deepen the policies that ensure, in the medium and (above all) long term, the autonomy of individuals.