Elements for a political economy of the reforms in Lula Government

Vol. 24 No. 1 (2004)

Jan-Mar / 2004
Published January 1, 2004
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))

How to Cite

Bacha, Edmar Lisboa. 2004. “Elements for a Political Economy of the Reforms in Lula Government”. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy 24 (1):18-29. https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-31572004-1637.

Elements for a political economy of the reforms in Lula Government

Edmar Lisboa Bacha
Núcleo de Estudos de Política Econômica, Casa das Garças, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brasil
Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 24 No. 1 (2004), Jan-Mar / 2004, Pages 18-29

Abstract

“Elements for a Political Economy of the Reforms in Lula Government”. Under the hypothesis that structural reforms are positive for the economy, it is argued that, in a government of the 'right', there exists stable political economy equilibrium: some reforms are made and the economy has a median performance. In a government of the 'left', such median equilibrium is unstable. A situation of double equilibria is characterized: the government either succeeds fully or it fails miserably. The conclusion is that the success of Lula's government will depend on the result of a race between the of his popularity, on one hand, and the improvement of the economy, on the other.

JEL Classification: E61; E65; O11; O54.


Keywords: Growth rightism political economy leftism reforms