From Inside Brazil

Fifth in population and geographical size and fourteenth in total income, Brazil is not only a regional, but also potentially a global force. Will Brazil capitalize on its huge strengths and emerge as a true global leader, or will it miss out on its great opportunity? This book lays out the crucial dimensions of Brazil?s development prospects ? and considers both conventional and unconventional ways forward. From Inside Brazil lays out a number of messages of interest to Brazilian and international audiences. First, improving equity across the population is not only essential for social progress, but also key to achieving higher economic growth. Second, growth can be sparked by strong improvements in productivity, especially the productivity of the large percentage of people that are excluded from the production process. Third, investing in natural resources too is essential for supporting growth that is more inclusive of the poorer segments of the population, as these resources represent a large part of the assets of the poor. Fourth, this socio-economic agenda will get a large boost if political reform were carried out with urgency.