Brazil Needs More Than Populist Economics
The country faces big structural challenges. Neither Bolsonaro nor Lula has shown much willingness to tackle them.
No, thanks.
Photographs: Ricardo Chicarelli (left), Sergio Lima (right)/AFP/Getty Images
With Brazil’s presidential election less than six months away, the state of the economy is the country’s biggest priority. Weighed down by crippling inflation and high borrowing costs, growth is likely to be less than 1% this year, threatening the future not just of Brazil’s 215 million people but the region as a whole.
Unfortunately, neither incumbent Jair Bolsonaro nor his main rival, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, have shown signs they intend to prioritize the reforms the country needs to return to sustainable growth. Brazil’s voters deserve better.