This groundbreaking work is the first volume in English to examine Brazil's historic policy reforms of the 1990s and the political, economic, and social results. For years the large and ineffective government of Brazil could neither improve the country's greatly uneven distribution of wealth nor maintain inflation at reasonable levels. In the 1990s, long overdue changes bettered the government's fiscal performance, tamed inflation, and addressed chronic social ills stemming from the imbalance of wealth. But many problems, and many questions, remain. Why is Brazil still so poor, and why is inequality so intransigent? Were some of the reforms counterproductive, or could they have been implemented in a more effective way? Collecting essays by top Brazilianist scholars from various disciplines and intellectual traditions, Reforming Brazil provides new insights for international policy makers, economists, and scholars of Brazil.

This book compares the successes and failures of the development and growth processes of Argentina and Brazil. It provides important insights into the different performances of these economies through a series of comparative essays written by Argentinian and Brazilian economists. In the last 60 years Argentina and Brazil have both undergone a dramatic process of urbanization and industrialization. While there are similarities between the two, each country has dealt with the side effects in a different manner. In this insightful book, Argentinean and Brazilian economists expertly analyze their country's experiences with processes of industrialization, the performance of the agricultural and service sectors, the impact of foreign investments, the distribution of income, the roles of the state and the privatization experience, and inflationary and stabilization experiences. The contrast of the two emerging countries addressing these challenges will offer students, economists and other social scientists significant new insights into the economic development process. Many of the articles will also appeal to individuals in multinational corporations and banks that have to deal with emerging market economies. Contributors include: H. Aguirre, E. Amann, D.G. Arce, C.R. Azzoni, C.J. Caetano Bacha, W. Baer, A.R. Barros, R. Bebczuk, C. Ciappa, D. Coes, A. Elizagaray, A. Figueroa, D.I. Fleischer, M.A.R. da Fonseca, A. Gallo, E.M. Greco, J.J.M Guilhoto, G. Hewings, D. Heymann, R. Hoffmann, A. Horowitz, B. Kosacoff, A. Lopez, J.L. Love, S. Petralia, D. Petrecolla, A.C. Pinheiro, A. Porto, A. Ramos, C.A. Romero, S.D. Silber, W. Sosa-Escudero, A. Villela

The Brazilian State: Debate and Agenda is part of the Bildner Western Hemisphere Studies Series. This book is a collection of 16 essays from the conference "The Brazilian State: Paths and Prospects of Dirigisme and Liberalization" held at The Graduate Center, City University of New York in November 2009. The Brazilian State explores the changing roles, relations with society, and overall impact of the contemporary Brazilian State, including, the newly elected Dilma Rousseff. Collectively, the papers explore state reform, institutional development, policy effectiveness, and economic dynamics since the 1930s.