The "Brazilian Miracle," A Tarnished Image

This study is a contribution to literature which critically examines the role of global multinational corporations in relation to the so-called Brazilian miracle. This volume contains a series of studies aimed at illustrating the culpability of these corporations (in alliance with the military state) in creating the conditions of superexploitation and degradation imposed on the working class during the post-coup period. Particular articles focus on the deterioration of the working conditions and living standards of the labor force since 1964. In addition, a note on the exploitation of labor in the burgeoning auto industry is provided along with two articles outlining the assistance which the military has conferred on the multinational corporations through a variety of juridical measures. Finally, detailed case studies on the Brascan conglomerate and the Ludwig interests contribute a majority of the pages to this book. The mode of presentation of this material is somewhat uneven, varying from a set of copious notes to a series of polished congruous essays. A plethora of evidence exposing the nature of the Brazilian miracle is posited throughout these chapters. Detailed tables presenting the radical decline of real wages and the exacerbation of income distribution are used to illustrate the pernicious nature of economic policy in Brazil since 1964. For example, the working time necessary to acquire basic foodstuffs in a given month in Sdo Paulo increased from 87 hours in December 1965 to 155 hours in July 1974. The discussion on the role of the military in alluring foreign capital into this environment is valuable. It illustrates the extent to which a coercive regime is capable of creating conditions conducive to the proliferation of corporate profits. In addition to the array of fiscal, financial, and credit advantages, the authors detail the tools used by the state to minimize wages, safety and health regulations, and labor strife. While the writers provide some examples

Miracle · Political science · Brazilian History and Foreign Policy · History · Law

• Dependent Development

  Peter B Evans, Peter Evans•Dependent Development•2018

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