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Has China's economic success brought about Brazil's economic failure? Or should we look elsewhere for the causes behind the disaster into which the South American nation is currently sinking? There is a path out of the rentier trap, but it is narrow. Brazilian administrations have preferred not to pursue loans, convinced that raw materials prices would keep rising, and that even without making structural changes, it would be possible to enact policies designed to reduce the wage gap and mitigate poverty, with no concern for declining competitiveness, and a blind eye to the top 1%, which is becoming wealthier. An increasingly asymmetrical relationship with China has made room for crisis, but not growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization in Brazil: guilty or scapegoat? After the sequence of structural adjustments decisions suggested by the IMF, Brazilian economy became wider opened, as the consequences from financial globalization were stronger than those from commercial globalization. Nevertheless, social and economical reality didn't show much improvement. On the contrary, figures on economic increase and inequalities show Brazil behind the average of developing countries. Even if the effects caused by "mondialisation" on weakened economies are well known, globalization can not be taken as the only guilty of weak economic increase, for maintaining the high level of inequalities or for the increase of precariousness. Responsibility must be searched on high inequalities in where operates "mondialisation", on weakness of public policies, on irresponsible way of opening of the economy and in fiscal policy in favor of financial sector. Other countries have reached quite different results, once the have adopted different public policies, which goal was to establish control and reduction upon the negatives effects of globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the adoption of the structural adjustment measures proposed by the IMF, the Brazilian economy saw a strong increase in its degree of opening, while at the same time the consequences of financial globalization turned out to be bigger than those of commercial globalisation. Despite efforts, the social and economic reality of the country has not shown signs of improvement. On the contrary, the figures relating to economic growth and inequalities still put Brazil lower than average among developing countries. Although the perverse effects of the process engendered by globalisation on the weakest economies are well-known, it is not globalization itself which should be considered as the sole "culprit" responsible for poor growth, the continuing high level of inequalities, or the rise in insecurity. The causes are to be sought in the context (a high level of inequality) in which globalization is operating, in the weakness of public assistance policies, in the way opening occurs, and in the management of internal debt which favours financial activity. Other countries are showing quite different results because they have implemented policies that aim to control and reduce the negative effects of globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]