It’s a peculiar thing about countries with large populations that they often tend to be insular, uninformed about what goes on in other parts of the world, and mildly paranoid, if not xenophobic. The U.S. provides a leading example: the intermittent periods of “isolationism” provide a testament to insularity. Proverbially clueless about the world outside Read more about Large, Insular Countries[…]
I’m still months away from being validated. But at least 95% of the paper work is in. It was easy, really: -Sent Diploma and full academic transcript to Brazilian consulate in Houston (closest consulate to graduating institution). $10 verification. -Had documents sent to Brazil. $93 -Had said documents verified by a notary: $11 -Documents translated Read more about The Brazilian Validation of my Ph.D.[…]
Carol and I have been watching political candidates advertise their wares on TV. The Brazilian election is just around the corner and as I mentioned before, it’s not looking promising. Things are good economically, so there’s little incentive for reform. I am reluctant to venture the opinion that someone “looks” corrupt – as the adage Read more about Moralistic Blockaders versus Subversive Altruists[…]
Most gringos don’t realize that Brazil and Latin America’s experience with democracy is relatively recent. Brazil has come a long way since it returned from dictatorship to democracy in the late 1980s. It only drafted its current constitution in 1988, just over twenty years ago. Today, politics is less polarized, the military has less influence, Read more about Economic Progress, Political Complacence, and the Tenuous Citizen-Government Connection[…]
Well, perhaps not the end of inequality, but the beach certainly is something of an equalizer. Although the beach has its classes and groups, it is the closest Brazilians come to indiscriminate association. Perhaps you have a few class indicators, like a pair of sunglasses or a fancy bathing suit, but except for some very Read more about The Beach and the end of Inequality[…]
I admire Brazil most for its self-possession. Its culture is uniquely distinct and, as I will write about next entry, it even follows political and economic policy that is out-of-step with the dictates of first-world orthodoxy. For the most part, the country’s self-possession is accidental– it’s the sole Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas, and its Read more about Brazil: Culturally Self-Possessed.[…]
The current trend toward rogue debtors in Brazil is a result of at least two phenomena: first, the conditions surrounding a boom in credit, including the way purchases are parceled out over time and a society with little credit experience; second, the phenomenon I wrote about last entry–the fantastical price of consumer durables here in Brazil.
The price of consumer durables in Brazil is more expensive than in any other large market in the world–hands down. This does not seem to jive with the plight of the median Brazilian, who earns somewhere around $1000R ($600US) a month (minimum wage is about $550R a month. If anything, purchases of goods that can Read more about #4 Import taxes (i.e. tariffs)[…]
Today’s Jornal do Brasil reports “47% of the GDP in only 1% of [the country’s] municipalities.” (page A17). Today, 40% of the nation’s poorest municipalities account for just 4.6% of the country’s GDP. Those are some figures to drown in. Inequality has obviously gotten worse, not better over time. In 1920, the figure for the Read more about Talking about inequality…[…]
There are a lot of things I love about Brazil, such as the people, the uniqueness of its culture, and its natural beauty. This is a banal list of things that tourists appreciate about Brazil. But things are a lot different as a tourist than as a resident. When you’re living here, you begin to Read more about Things I Could Live Without in Brazil[…]