This editorial was written by Sergio Abranches for Brazil In Focus and provides a brief overview of how Brazil’s environmental prospects are being compromised by short-termism and a government that easily succumbs to powerful lobbies: Brazil sacrifices the enviroment on the altar of growth A year ago presidential hopeful Dilma Rousseff went on record as a strong Read more about “Development at Any Cost?”– Post on Brazil In Focus[…]
On the 25th of October 2011, The Brazilian Senate enacted a keystone measure to shore up the country’s growing transparency infrastructure, a freedom of information law. Signed by President Dilma Rousseff on the 18th of November, the law will go into effect 180 days from the date of promulgation, on May 18th, 2012. The question Read more about Surrendering Secrecy in the Senate[…]
Back after more than a month-long hiatus, I am overwhelmed by recent events deserving of attention. Most importantly, the week of the 25th of October 2011 will go down in history as one of Brazil’s great democratic moments of reckoning: the country enacted a freedom of information law after more than 3 years of deliberation, Read more about The Next Couple Posts– Historic Democratizing Advances in Brazil[…]
Some ten months after taking office, President Dilma Rousseff should soon receive a fifth Minister’s resignation due to allegations of corruption. The Minister of Sport, Orlando Silva, from the PCdoB (Communist Party of Brazil), is under scrutiny for his role in a corruption scheme whereby NGOs received contracts from the Ministry in return for kickbacks Read more about Fifth Minister About to Fall Due to Corruption[…]
The newspaper Globo reported some stark statistics today about how crime affects city-dwellers. According to the report undertaken by the National Confederation of Industry, “A Portrait of Brazilian Society: Public Security,” within the last twelve months more than 51% of Brazilians give public safety a failing grade; 79% say they have witnessed or experienced some Read more about Crime Rates in Brazil– Grim Stats[…]
Few other countries can boast banks whose profits were more fabulous than Brazil’s in 2010. As much of the world’s banks cowered under the threat that consumer and national debts might lead to insolvency, Brazil’s banks boomed. According to the Economist, the sector enjoyed returns on equity of more than 25 percent, and the nation’s Read more about Brazil’s Banks: Record Profits and Striking Employees—What Gives?[…]
Today is International Right to Information Day. Countries around the world are celebrating their newfound right to ask and receive public information held, for the benefit of citizens, in the government’s trust. The New Paradigm– Freedom of Information and Open Government More than 40 of the world’s 90-odd national freedom of information (FOI) laws were Read more about Today is International Right-to-Know Day[…]
Mighty Brazil A couple of weeks ago, Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega puffed out his chest and idly suggested that the BRIC countries might bail out Europe. A few weeks later, Dilma Rousseff stood before the United Nations Assembly and tossed daggers at economic mismanagement in the U.S. and Europe while at once highlighting Brazil’s Read more about Brazil’s Unmerited Swagger[…]
It is a pivotal moment for Brazil. While President Dilma Rousseff presents Brazil’s plans for the Open Government Partnership in New York today, anti-corruption movements are mobilizing across Brazil. Today, the Globo newspaper reported that around 30,000 protesters have come together through Facebook for a protest in Rio de Janeiro to be held between 17:00 Read more about Corruption in Brazil Today: Showdowns on Multiple Fronts[…]
Brazil unveiled tentative plans to make good on the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a multi-country, multi-stakeholder international initiative to advance greater transparency, openness, accountability, and participation in government. Brazil and the U.S. are the Co-Chairs of the OGP, which is to be announced on September 20th by President Barack Obama at the opening of the Read more about Brazil’s Plans for the Open Government Partnership and 5 Recommendations[…]