Economics

Paulo Guedes Waited Decades to Change Brazil and He’s Not Quitting Now

  • Bolsonaro still has the final say over economic policy
  • Despite frustrations, Guedes keen to leave significant legacy
Paulo Guedes, Brazil’s economy minister.Photographer: Patricia Monteiro/Bloomberg
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When Paulo Guedes became Brazil’s economy minister in January, investors hoped it would be the former fund manager rather than President Jair Bolsonaro steering the world’s ninth-largest economy.

Ten months on, both Guedes and his cheerleaders are getting a reality check on how government really works as Bolsonaro, the former Army captain who once declared he knows nothing about economics, pulls rank.