My wife Carolina and I so far managed to avoid buying a car here in Brazil. It’s not that we have a strong aversion to owning a car; it would be great to have a little ride for weekend jaunts, but it’s just impractical. Happily, the cost-benefit does not (yet) make sense. I walk back Read more about Brazil’s Growing Car Obsession[…]
As co-chair of the Open Government Partnership, in a very few months Brazil will play host to a meeting among more than 50 countries participating in an unprecedented global initiative: a ‘multinational and multi-stakeholder’ effort to improve accountability, transparency, access to information, and greater participation in the affairs of government. A sort of club for Read more about Threats to Broad Consultation and Participation in Brazil, Co-chair of Open Government Partnership[…]
“You get what you pay,” is a saying that doesn’t have an exact translation in Portuguese, much like other words, such as ‘enforcement[1],’ ‘check’ (as in a ‘check on authority), and ‘accountability’[2]. If language fashions our world view, as linguists suggest, it may help us understand why most Brazilians react limply to gross inequities, malfeasance, Read more about Police Strikes in Rio and Salvador — You Get What You Pay For[…]
Globo newspaper reported today that new policies might soon open the door to fast-track visas for skilled workers. With recessions dimming prospects for professionals in both the U.S. and Europe, it is not impossible that Brazil may be about to experience a second golden age of immigration. Current visa and immigration restrictions reflect the sort Read more about Government to Expedite Work Visas, But Will It Validate You to Work in Brazil?[…]
Brazil is a country known for its disappearing ideological debates, its de-politicized populace, and a ‘culture of consensus’ that renders political debate among strangers or even friends much rarer than in other parts of the world. So when I read Brazilian news online, I always take a minute to scan user-generated comments, a fascinating prism Read more about Online Commenting in Brazil: Pathological Pundits or Hired Partisan Hacks?[…]
Six Ministers got the axe during President Dilma Rousseff’s first year in office, but that’s not all she cut. Rousseff has also pruned some small but significant taxes, improving the climate for business. Brazil’s economic vigor was on display in 2011. The Folha de São Paulo reports today that imports and exports broke all previous Read more about President Dilma Rousseff the Malfeasant Slayer, yes, but Tax-Cutter?[…]
“Doing more with less.” As world population heads towards 8 billion, countries and companies across the world aim to use technology, organizational techniques, and training to do more with less: increase productivity and conserve resources while sustaining a decent quality of life. One of the key concepts here is productivity. I recently participated in a Read more about Brazil’s Productivity Gap[…]
When Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff promulgated the country’s new freedom of information law on November 18th, she signed on to a measure that is among the strongest in Latin America, and perhaps more importantly, she endorsed a law that made inordinate improvements over bill (5228) introduced by her predecessor, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Read more about Analyzing Brazil’s New Freedom of Information Law[…]
Folha de São Paulo reports today that, for the second time this year, President Dilma Rousseff has let de-foresters off the hook. This Monday the President issued a decree to extend the date at which fines will be levied for failures to re-forest and register legally protected land. The last extension occurred in June, and Read more about Addendum to last post: The Forest Code[…]
The Código Forestal or Forest Code now being debated in Congress will determine the future of Brazil’s forests, including the world’s last great rainforest, the Amazon. In order to make good on a 1965 forest code that was rarely if ever enforced, President Dilma Rousseff introduced strong legislation in 2010. Legislators in the Lower House Read more about The Forest Code: Campaign Contributions of Agri-Business Pit Legislators Against Public Opinion[…]