Brazil
With annual production averaging over 20 million metric tons, Brazil is the second largest developing country producer of maize (after China) and the third largest in the world. This report analyses development and dissemination of maize research and technology in Brazil from a socio-economic and politico-institutional perspective. It concentrates therefore on agents and factors which influence development of research and its productive application.
The report is in two parts. First it describes the role of maize in the Brazilian economy - the main characteristics of its production, marketing and consumption, together with relevant sectoral policies and regulation of seed production. Then it analyses the development of maize research and technology in Brazil, identifying the main agents involved and possible future developments in the light of the introduction of biotechnologies.
As an Appendix, the authors review development of biotechnologies in Brazil.
Many people have ...
This study provides an economic and econometric analysis of agriculture in the economic cycle, with special reference to the recent experience of Brazil. Part One of the paper discusses the economic theory and points to the relevance of classical texts for analysis of agriculture's role in the economic crisis facing developing countries. Part Two of the paper tests the hypothesis that agriculture exercises a stabilising role in the economic cycle using statistical and econometric procedures. It offers a novel application of tests of cointegration and stationarity and concludes on this basis that agriculture does indeed exercise a stabilising role in the economic cycle.
The study was concluded under the Development Centre's programme "Developing Country Agriculture and International Economic Trends", directed by Ian Goldin ...
The Brazilian electronics industry operates within a policy regime which has promoted excessive diversification rather than concentrating on developing strong technological capabilities in appropriate areas. The international competitiveness of most segments of the electronics industry declined sharply during the first half of the 1980s.
Four major sectors of the electronics industry are examined here: microelectronics, banking automation, colour TVs, and public digital exchanges. In microelectronics, the focus of specialisation should be on the design of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). To support those design efforts with an efficient local IC fabrication capacity, the government needs to forge a cooperative arrangement among producers to enable the establishment of a silicon foundry of efficient scale. In banking automation, which is highly software and engineering intensive, firms could be expected to diversify into point-of-sale automation, without giving ...
On average, the role of export-credit operations (ECOs) in the Brazilian economy has been modest: during the 1985-89 period they involved only 2.57 per cent of total Brazilian imports, highly concentrated in "equipment" (excluding transport, but including government services), "cereals" and "coal", with the United States, Canada and France being the most important partners (covering on average 88.5 per cent of the total).
The subsidy, in principle, corresponds to the value of the difference between repayments according to market and "soft" conditions, that is, the difference between interest payments without and with soft terms.
However, problems arise because (i) soft loans are not always made available as soon as they are agreed upon, (ii) such loans usually benefit from a grace period, (iii) the interest rate on the loan and the discount factor can change over time, and, last but not least, (iv) ex-anteevaluations of the benefit are hard to capture by looking at ...
Structural adjustment, liberalisation and the pressures of technological change are having major impact on the institutional organisation of the agro-industrial sector. In industrialised countries, the private sector is positioned to play the vanguard role in the next generation of agricultural technologies. Thus, the ability to promote and sustain new patterns of co-operation in research and development between the private and the public sectors will be a key determinant of future patterns of competitiveness.
This study of Brazil attempts to identify the main lines of technological and organisational innovation at present under way in important sectors of the Brazilian agricultural research system. It focuses on three crops -- soybeans, wheat and sugar -- which are strategic from the point of view of structural adjustment and liberalisation and at the same time involve both export and domestic markets ...
OECD's 1998 review of Brazils foreign direct investment policy. It finds that Brazil is on the verge of becoming one of the leading recipients of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Latin America and the world. Major economic reforms and large scale privatisations have enhanced Brazil's attractiveness as the largest Latin American market and as a key player in Mercosur. This trend should pick up speed in the coming years with further liberalisation, the restructuring of the Brazilian economy and the pursuance of economic integration. There is every reason to commend the policies adopted by the Government of Brazil to eliminate discriminatory treatment towards foreign investors and their investments, protect their tangible and intangible assets and provide for the resolution of investment disputes. The study highlights, however, some lingering areas of concern, notably with respect to access to the banking system, goverment discretionary action and existing market distortions. The adherence to OECD liberalisation principles should nevertheless consolidate and confort the reform process in Brazil while providing a favorable framework for the expansion of FDI relations between Brazil and OECD countries.
Le Brésil est sur le point de devenir l'un des plus importants pays d'accueil de l'investissement direct étranger (IDE) d'Amérique latine et du monde. L'attrait exercé par le Brésil s'est sensiblement accru grâce aux réformes économiques importantes et aux privatisations de grande envergure qui en ont fait le plus grand marché latino-américain ainsi qu'un acteur-clé du Mercosur. La propagation de la libéralisation, la restructuration de l'économie brésilienne et la poursuite de l'intégration économique devraient amplifier cette tendance dans les années à venir. Il y a tout lieu de se féliciter des politiques mises en place par le gouvernement du Brésil pour enrayer la discrimination à l'égard des investisseurs étrangers et de leurs investissements, protéger leurs actifs (tangibles ou intangibles) et créer des mécanismes de règlement des différends. Cette étude souligne cependant qu'un certain nombre d'inquiétudes subsistent en matière d'accès au secteur bancaire, de discrétion réglementaire ou administative et de barrières structurelles. Mais l'adhésion aux principes de libéralisation de l'OCDE sont de nature à consolider et conforter le gouvernment brésilien dans la voie des réformes, tout en offrant un cadre favorable à l'expansion des relations entre le Brésil et les pays de l'OCDE dans le domaine de l'IDE.
Against the background of Brazil’s highly unequal distribution of income and wealth, and its history of alienation and passivity of the poor, in particular during the years of political authoritarianism, this paper shows how an active civil society, driven by ethical concerns, has, since 1993, nudged democratic government at different levels as well as enterprises of the public sector into undertakings which alleviate poverty directly in various ways and open up new perspectives for a number of the poor.
While the reach and impact of these programmes is still rather limited in the face of the country’s 32 million “extremely poor” (1990), and data are lacking for a comprehensive evaluation, the approach followed deserves attention as a large-scale experiment which introduces new political practices, based on dialogue between administrations and committees of citizens about priorities as well as implementation and monitoring of activities. In political terms, the main achievement is ...
Brazil’s public pension expenditure is about 9 per cent of GDP, above the OECD average. Given that OECD countries are generally not only wealthier, but also significantly older, Brazil’s pension expenditures are clearly excessive, draining resources away from other areas, such as much needed social investment in health and education. Beyond its fiscal impact, the Brazilian pension system is also unjust. About half of total pension expenditure is paid to former civil servants, which account for only 5 per cent of total retirees. Given the demographic challenges Brazil is likely to face in the next decades, authorities have started to implement a series of reforms. The general regime available to private sector workers underwent major changes in 1999, which will help ensure its long-term actuarial and financial balance. However, problems remain concerning the growth of the informal economy, the weight of non-pension benefits financially imputed to the regime and the mechanisms for ...
The general benefits of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), and the potential of FDI as a tool for regional economic development in particular, are commonly recognised by policy makers and analysts. A recent study prepared under the auspices of the OECD Committee on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises concluded that FDI generally supports growth in developing, emerging and transition economies, irrespective of their initial state of development ...
Over the past few years, the debate on the future of higher education in Brazil has been by and large split into two camps. One side stresses the urgent need to broaden the system, to allow a growing number of Brazilians to gain qualifications and enter an increasingly competitive and international labour market as skilled workers. This is the view behind the significant expansion of private higher education in Brazil over the past decade. The other side does not disregard the problems of public higher education, or the demands of thousands of young people deprived of a university education, but holds that the expansion of higher education should be based on the conclusions of the 1998 World Conference on Higher Education in Paris. Rather than setting public against private education, this approach envisages the growth of the system as a whole, on the premise that education is a strategic asset for national development, a universal right and one of the duties of any State.
Durant ces dernières années, le débat relatif à l'avenir de l'enseignement supérieur au Brésil s'est partagé grosso modo entre deux visions. L'une d'elles pointe avant tout la nécessité urgente d'élargir le système, pour permettre à un nombre sans cesse croissant de brésiliens d'obtenir un diplôme et d'entrer qualifiés sur un marché du travail de plus en plus compétitif et internationalisé. Cette vision a encouragé l'expansion notable que l'enseignement supérieur privé a connue au Brésil pendant la dernière décennie. L'autre vision, sans pour autant déconsidérer les difficultés de l'enseignement supérieur public brésilien ni les demandes des milliers de jeunes exclus de l'éducation universitaire, soutient l'idée que l'expansion du système d'enseignement supérieur doit s'inspirer des conclusions de la Conférence Mondiale de l'Enseignement Supérieur qui s'est tenue à Paris en 1998. Dans cette perspective, il ne s'agit pas d'opposer enseignements public et privé, mais d'envisager la croissance de l'ensemble du système à partir de la conviction que l'éducation constitue un atout stratégique pour le développement des nations, que l'enseignement supérieur est un droit pour tous et que l'éducation est un devoir des États.
During his September 2002 visit to OECD Headquarters in Paris, Mr. Guilherme DIAS, the Minister of Planning, Budget and Management, requested the OECD to carry out a review of the Brazilian budgeting system in a similar fashion as it does for its member countries.
The OECD responded positively to this request, recognising that Brazil is an established observer of the OECD Working Party of Senior Budget Officials and a key partner in the OECD’s overall programme of co-operation with nonmembers.
Au cours de sa visite au siège de l’OCDE à Paris en septembre 2002, M. Guilherme DIAS, ministre du Plan, du Budget et de la Gestion a demandé à l’OCDE de réaliser, pour le système budgétaire brésilien, une étude semblable à celles qui sont réalisées pour ses pays membres.
L’OCDE a répondu favorablement à cette requête en reconnaissant que le Brésil est un observateur bien établi auprès du Groupe de travail des hauts responsables du budget de l’OCDE et un partenaire clé du programme global de l’OCDE de coopération avec les pays non membres. En raison du temps limité alloué à la réalisation de cette étude, il a été décidé que le rapport n’aborderait pas le système de fédéralisme budgétaire du Brésil.
Corporate governance matters for national development. Studies of Brazil, Chile, India, and South Africa show that corporate governance has an important role to play in helping both to increase financial capital to firms in developing countries and to enhance those countries’ financial development as a whole. They further show that corporate governance matters can contribute greatly to achieving sustained productivity growth in developing countries’ real economies. The value of improved corporate governance for development cannot, however, be considered in isolation. In the financial sector, attention must also be given to measures to strengthen the banking sector and a country’s financial institutions as a whole. To gain most from improved corporate governance in the real economy, close attention must also be given to competition policy and to reforms of sector-specific regulatory practices. The book is for civil society, NGOs and research institutes.
This book focuses on the role of exchange rate regimes, market imperfections and trade policy to support the strengthening and diversification of the tradable sector in Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Moreover, it analyses the agro-food sector, one of the pillars of the tradable sector in the region, and the role of foreign direct investment and competition policy. Overall it provides an integrated and original policy perspective on the factors underlying international competitiveness.