Suchergebnisse

This article deals with some of the elements in the present debate on the reform of the Brazilian state. It takes into account the Keynesian origin of the contemporary interventionism and the trajectory of the implementation of the national program of industrialization, which was first discussed in the 1930s, and later, in the 1940s, shared by CEPAL. It argues that the crises of the 1980s were due to the contradictory nature of the financial performance of the public sector. Finally, the author proposes some basic ideas for the reform of the state as a condition for a new strategy of development

The intention is to challenge the common perception that Raymond Aron is a realist author. Indeed, despite the author's close affinities with classical realism Aron's thinking displays a Kantian dimension and an idealist thinking concerned with moral issues and with a certain notion of freedom that set him apart from realism. The argument is that within the realm of international relations the thinking of Raymond Aron is best seen as resulting from the existing tension between realism and liberalism, starting from a position close to classical realism that evolved towards what is considered to be the via media in International Relations. Adapted from the source document.

Interest rate, exchange rate and the system of inflation target in Brazil. In the consensus view of the Brazilian system of inflation targeting, the core of inflation is due to demand shocks; the rate of interest is set to control demand; and some variation in the exchange rate happens as "collateral damage". In this note the author argues that in reality core inflation comes from cost push; the interest rate affects the exchange rate; changes in the exchange rate affect costs and prices; it is the effect of interest rates on demand that is the "collateral damage" and that the long run anchor of the system is low average real wage rigidity. (Rev Econ Polit/GIGA)

Thirty years after, the May 27, I977 coup attempt is still an embarrassing subject for the MPLA regime in Angola. It is also a highly traumatic memory for the families of those hit by the repression against the fraccionistas as the Nito Alves MPLA faction is still called by the authorities. The author has interviewed rank & file elements who participated in the events & the present article questions many of the current assumptions about the Nito Alves failed coup. Without trying to deny that tensions were accumulating within the MPLA, many of those testimonies do not view the 27 Mayas a coordinated takeover strategy. Adapted from the source document.

In the year that will see the end of Kofi Anna's mandate, this article seeks to give some perspective to the role of the UN Secretary General taking into account both the power structure of the Organization & international context rapidly changing. Firstly, the usual mechanisms of selection of the S-G are examined, & some thought is given to the different ways in which the issue has been addressed by the great powers, in particular by the U.S.A. The author also reviews the potential candidates being discussed in the corridors of world diplomacy & presents some hypotheses as to what can be expected from Kofi Annan's successor. Adapted from the source document.

After a review of the concept of economic growth as a historical process beginning with the capitalist revolution and the formation of the modern national states, the author claims that growth is almost invariably the outcome of a national development strategy. Effective economic development occurs historically when the different social classes are able to cooperate and formulate an effective stretegy to promote growth and face international competition. It follows a discussion of the main characteristics and of the basic tensions that such strategies face in the central countries which first developed, and in the underdeveloped countries, which, besides their domestic problems, confront major challenges in their relations with the rich countries. (Rev Econ Polit/GIGA)

The Brazilian federal judiciary offers an interesting riddle to scholars of judicial politics and policy change. While the courts have played a major policy role over the past two decades, constraining and altering federal policy across a range of subjects, the court system has simultaneously been labeled "dysfunctional." This paper investigates this riddle: a system plagued by major systemic flaws in its day-to-day operations, which nonetheless still manages to exert a powerful influence on public policy in Brazil. The author adopts a new institutional perspective, focusing on how the institutional and normative structure within which judges and other legal actors operate affects policy outcomes. (Rev Econ Polit/GIGA)

This article discusses the problematic aspects of Portuguese foreign policy towards Angola. Its basic tenets are assessed through a discussion of key moments in bilateral relations since 1975, particularly the period of reconfiguration following the end of the Cold War (1990-95). The article concludes, firstly, that in the last decade & a half, a series of factors has resulted in an Angola policy that scarcely contributes towards the prestige & national interest of Portugal; & secondly, that pragmatic interest groups from Portugal sustain their successful presence in the Angolan economy through this very policy, & actively seek to perpetuate it. The author suggests that the bilateral rapport as it stands should be thoroughly redefined. Adapted from the source document.

This article lays out the general economic principles of exchange rate policy and provides an overview of the four country cases that have been included in this special edition of the journal: Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela. Three main currency regimes are discussed: the fixed but adjustable regime, the firmly fixed rate, and the floating rate regime. At the same time, the article distinguishes between two main approaches to exchange rate policy: the nominal anchor approach and the real targets approach. The author identifies the costs and benefits of implementing these various exchange rate regimes through the different phases of macroeconomic stabilization and structural adjustment. (Rev Econ Pol/DÜI)

The author begins by asking why Brazilian policymakers opted to target the exchange rate to stabilize inflation when this strategy had already failed in Mexico. The answer: It was no longer possible to accomodate the country's high inflation rate through the pervasive use of price indexation and a competitive exchange rate policy. The anchoring of the exchange rate within the Real Plan was the quickest route toward price stability. Brazil's recovery under a flexible currency regime suggests that the macroeconomic fundamentals are back on track. The challenge now lies in the crafting of a viable coalition that can cut through the mumerous parochial interests that converged to provoke the 1999 devaluation. (Rev Econ Pol/DÜI)

This article traces the ways in which political, economic, domestic, and international factors converged to provoke a massive financial crisis in Mexico in 1994/5, as well as its consequences for future reform efforts. The author argues that the ruling PRI party and international investors were equally adamant in defending the anchored exchange rate. However, in attempting to appease both domestic and foreign interests, the Salinas administration lost control of the macroeconomic fundamentals. While the combination of a massive multilateral loan and the shift to a floating exchange rate paved the way for Mexico's rapid economic recovery, a main legacy of the crisis was the political demise of the PRI. (Rev Econ Pol/DÜI)

This paper is an account of the intellectual process that led, in the early 1980s, to the definition of the new economic theory of inertial inflation, which is identified as the consequence of phased or staggered price adjustments. Economic agents are involved in an endless process of balancing and unbalancing relative prices, as they keep up with the ongoing inflation. To fight inertial inflation, orthodox or conventional fiscal and monetary policies are insufficient. In addition it is necessary to adopt a heterodox mechanism that neutralizes inertia. This article is part of a book in preparation where the author reports his experience as minister of finance in Brazil in 1987. (Rev Econ Polit/DÜI)

Changes in the international financial markets implied new conditions for the financing of Latin American foreign debt. The dollarization of the economies acquired new importance, intensely affecting the monetary sovereignty of some countries. As a result, new economic policies were instituted in Argentina and Brazil aimed at reducing inflation by imposing a price freeze and a general de-indexation of the economy. The author takes into account the external context as well as both the economic structures and the accumulation of capital, as he analyzes the limitations of the measures used to slowdown the long-term dollarization and the main features of the Austral and Cruzado Plans

The present paper aims to show that, not only the concept of anarchy cannot be anchored in the author that traditionally has worked as its validator -- Hobbes -- it has no foundation whatsoever, except possibly a mythical one. International anarchy entails an ontological state, not a phenomenological one, of permanent war, of chaos incompatible with the presence of sovereign powers in the international scene. The concept of anarchy, despite the structural aporiae that thwart its sustainability, serves a particular status quo, pursues the preservation of the logic of power internationally and, for that reason alone, it remains an object of affection to those who dictate the rules, as an ideological apparatus that does not bind them. Adapted from the source document.

The author reviews the political forces in action from the time of the Cuban revolution, in search of the elements which reinforce the perpetuation of the embargo. Within these elements lies the wish of restoration of American hegemony in the island, for which the "sine qua non" is the ouster of Castro. The article sheds light on the historical background of this hegemony, from the days of the Spanish-American war to its dismantling by the revolutionaries. The strategic alliance between American political leaders and the community of Cuban exiles is analyzed as one of the most important factors in the recent toughening of anti-Castro policies, as exemplified by the Torricelli and Helms-Burton laws. (Polit Externa/DÜI)