Case Study of Developing Democracies: Brazil
How did sugar cultivation transform Brazil?
- Began the African slave trade - First ever great plantation export economy - Developed the pattern that a white elite controls the majority of wealth while everyone else is poor
What was the status of Brazil after it was found in 1500?
- Land was sparsely populated and had no apparent natural resources - Largely neglected by Portugal
What happened under bureaucratic authoritarian leadership?
- Suspended the constitution - Banned existing parties and replaced them with two new ones - Took control of trade unions - Restricted civil liberties
How does open-list proportional representation (PR) work?
- Votes for each party are tallied and seats are distributed proportionally - Allocation of seats to individual people is based on number of votes members receive
Why don't legislators have a key role in legislature?
- dominance of the president - weakness of political parties - individualism of legislators - weak committee system
Why study Brazil?
- has faced major shifts over the last 10 years - full of paradoxes
What questions does Brazil present?
1) Can a democratic regime persist amid extraordinarily high levels of economic inequality? 2) Will the growing wave of crime and lawlessness erode confidence in democracy & rule of law? 3) Will history of corruption prevent democratic reform?
How many justices are on the Federal Supreme Court?
11 for 30 year terms
When was the democratic constitution adopted?
1988
How many judges are on the Supreme Court of Justice?
33
How long do presidents serve?
4 year terms and could serve a second consecutive term
How long do Chamber of Deputies members serve?
4 year terms w/ no term limits
How many members are in the Chamber of Deputies?
513
How long do Federal Senate members serve?
8 year terms w/ no term limits
What percentage of legislation is pushed by the President?
80%
How many members are in the Federal Senate?
81
mulatto
A person of mixed African and European ancestry; developed through slavery
Bureaucratic Authoritarianism
A system in which the state bureaucracy and the military share a belief that a technocratic leadership, focused on rational, objective, and technical expertise, can solve the problems of the country without public participation
How are judges selected?
Appointed by the president and approved by a majority vote in the Senate
How are justices selected?
Appointed by the president and approved by a majority vote in the Senate
National Congress
Brazil's bicameral legislature
Michel Temer
Brazil's conservative president, and vice president under Rousseff, who ascended to the presidency after the impeachment of Rousseff
Dilma Rousseff
Brazil's first female president (2011-16), who was impeached in 2016
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Brazil's two-term president from 2003 to 2010 and a member of the leftist Workers' Party (PT); convicted on corruption charges in 2017
Caboclo
Brazilian of mixed European and indigenous ancestry
What is the role of religion?
Catholicism played role in mobilizing civil society to protect the military
What ways has Congress proved to have a leading role?
Congressional hearings were used to expose fraud and corruption
What was the state of democracy in Brazil?
Democracy was put in place but never consolidated
What is the structure of local governments?
Each has governor and unicameral legislature
ethnicity
Extremely diverse bc of blends of Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans
What is the party system in Brazil?
Fragmented multi party system with weak parties
How did gold and diamonds change Brazil?
Generated massive wealth
What helped reinvigorate civil society after the return to democracy?
Growth of decentralized Protestant groups (who were conservative)
Jair Bolsonaro
Inaugurated as president in January 2019; a far-right former military officer who was elected on a law and order platform
Issues facing the economy
Inflation Indebtedness Unemployment
Who was known as Brazil's greatest President?
Kubitschek, who was responsible for public works
What is an issue with proportional representation in Brazil?
Least populated areas are overrepresented
What part of the legislature has more power?
Neither; they share equal power
Who founded Brazil, and who was in claimed for?
Pedro Álvares Cabral found Brazil in 1500, and claimed it for Portugal
Who can petition the Supreme Court to rule on constitutionality?
President, state governors, and legislative leadership
Whey did the military intervene with Vargas?
So he would convene free elections
What is the dominant ideology in Brazil?
Support for authoritarian rule after democratization, has shifted due to economic growth over the last decade; not very polarized
How have Brazilian presidents used their power to make appointments?
They form legislative coalitions, which reinforces patrimonialism and corruption
Brasile
a hardwood that produced valuable red dye; first natural resource that made Brazil valuable
Liberation theory
a radical doctrine within the Catholic Church advocating that the church should act to improve the social and political power of the poor
open-list proportional representation (PR)
allows voters to select individual candidates instead of a party list
What is the role of the military?
an arbiter in politics to remove leaders and put civilians in power
How could you amend the constitution?
can be initiated by legislature (⅓ of either house agree), state legislature (majority of states agree), or the president
Superior Electoral Court
common institution in developing countries's local government designed to prevent fraud
What does the Supreme Court handle?
constitutional matters
Joao Goulart
embodied political polarization; had to be restricted by the legislature because he wanted to restore his full power
What is the role of police?
employ high levels of "state violence," governed by their own judicial systems which allow them to break the law
What rights are written into the constitution?
federalism, separation of powers, & individual rights
Second Republic
first taste of democracy; competition for control of the state
How does open-list proportional representation (PR) weaken parties?
fragmenting them
Supreme Court of Justice
highest criminal court
What is an issue facing the Supreme Court?
huge caseload, which has been fixed recent reforms (limited scope of cases)
What issue limits the effectiveness of the legislature?
inability to meet a quorum on key matters; their jobs are just stepping stones to better positions0o
What happens when both chambers don't agree?
it has to be fixed in joint-committee
Landless Workers Movement
large social movement that has fought for land reform
What are the powers of the President?
line-item veto, initiate and push budgetary legislation, issue decrees(for 30 days), veto legislation, appoint cabinet & bureaucracy
What is the status of women?
marginalized; More in workforce but they're paid less, laws to increase women's representation in Congress
Worker's Party (PT)
most important leftist party, and the party of former president da Silva
What electoral system does the lower house use?
open-list proportional representation (PR)
Multiparty presidentialism
political systems that combine presidentialism and a highly fragmented legislature with many political parties
How is the number of legislators per district determined?
population
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
president from 1995 to 2002; responsible for significant economic and political reform
How do multiparty presidential systems lead to more corruption?
presidents have to bargain with a highly fragmented legislature to pass anything
Bolsa Familia
social welfare program that pays monthly stipends to families when their children receive education and health care
robust federalism
states enjoy very strong power
Estado Novo
the brazilian regime created by Getulio Vargas, 1937-1945. The Estado Novo's industrialization program and general expansion of government activities were a combo of authoritarian central state and New Deal policies
What is the reason for Brazil's weak and loosely disciplined parties?
the electoral system
If no one wins in the first round of presidential elections, what happens?
the top two go to a second round
How did the Portuguese Empire react to Brazil's wealth after gold and diamonds were found?
tightened control over Brazil by taxing the colonists
What is civil society like in Brazil?
vibrant
