Is There a Brazilian Model of Development? Are there lessons for countries in Africa?

Brazil recently overtook the UK as the sixth largest economy, a measure of the strong economic growth experienced since 2003. Growth has been intensely propoor, and both poverty and inequality have declined significantly in the last decade. What explains the unexpected success shown by Brazil in combining sustained economic growth with a reduction in poverty and inequality? Some researchers suggest a new model of development in Brazil, and Latin America more broadly, is behind Brazil’s successes. Other researchers point to the effects of the global commodity boom as the main explanations. The paper argues that Brazil’s unique combination of economic and social policies is poorly understood. Although an assessment as to whether this combination constitutes a model is perhaps premature, but it is worth considering whether there are any lessons from Brazil’s development policies for sub-Saharan African countries experiencing sustained growth. Paper prepared for presentation at UNU-WIDER Development Conference on ‘Inclusive Growth in Africa: Measurement, Causes, and Consequences’, Helsinki 2021 September 2013 Address for correspondence: Arthur Lewis Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]