Students+Research+Findings

Refer, initially, to the following: Overview of Brazil


 * Brazil Opportunities: **

Goldman Sachs labeled Brazil as a BRIC nation, a developing nation that is worthy of investment, because this growing nation has many opportunities which will transform it into a world power. This allows Brazil to not be dependent on revenue from oil. Brazil will be able to budget and reform other institutions which will allow Brazil to develop. Brazil will be a worthy investment for future companies because it is a world Leader in renewable energy. 80% of its electricity grid is generated by hydro power plants. Cars run on clean-burning ethanol which has been distilled from sugar cane. In 2008, Brazil gained energy independence from new oil discoveries. Recently found oil will be able to accelerate Brazil's already astonishing growth. By 2013, Brazil will begin to extract the newly found oil in the Atlantic and will become a major exporter of oil, natural gas and by products. The financial sector of economy is flexible and strongly capitalized which will attract business.

This YouTube video discusses new oil discoveries in Brazil and the oil company Petrobras of Brazil. media type="youtube" key="RmUKJXUbo-4" height="405" width="660"

Brazil will be able to become a world power in the future and is on the right path because they have an attractive market which will magnetize investors in the future. Although there are social issues and infrastructure problems, As Brazil continues to develop it will be able to meet those challenges head on because they will experience continued growth through outside investment. Brazil is already a world leader with renewable energy. As other countries start to transition into economies that no longer are dependent on fossil fuels, Brazil will have a head start because of their extensive use of renewable resources.




 * Brazil as a consumer: **

Brazil, being a BRIC nation, has meant that Brazil could be a wise place to invest in. Conditions for development are available because of its good economic prospects. Another prospect of Brazil is that it has a growing middle class which will attract investors because there will be an abundance of consumption. Consumption and competitiveness will help the economy grow in Brazil. This growing middle class will also mean that there will be a more educated working class in the future which will help Brazil progress and accelerate its growth.

The limited amount of fossil fuels and global warming has encouraged many nations to look for alternate methods of creating energy. Obtaining energy through coal, natural gases and oil have had negative impacts on the environment and do not offer long time achievement to nations. Exploiting the world’s natural resources is unsustainable development and nations are looking for way to achieve sustainable development by trying to find renewable resources. The BRIC nations have the chance to become economic powers through sustainable development and surpass western nations. Western nations already have complex economies that are dependent on fossil while the BRIC nations are still developing and therefore can develop an economy that is sustainable. BRIC nations such as Brazil have been searching for ways to use renewable resources and increase agricultural production. Brazil is a leader among the BRIC nations for finding renewable resources and is on the path to being energy independent.
 * Sustainable Developement:**

Brazil has been looking for ways to avoid deforestation and look for renewable resources. Brazilian farmers have been farming in the Amazon because the jungle soil is fertile, but have exploited the soil which has ruined from over farming. Also in Japan and other countries in eastern Asia, there is a great demand for Brazilian timber. The Brazilian government has created policies to try and discontinue the large amount of deforestation by enforcing anti-logging laws and helping farmers find new places to cultivate their crops. Brazil has also been looking for renewable resources but has spent time trying to harness the great amount of energy from the Amazon River. According to the Brazil article, The Amazon River has the potential to create 100,000 Megawatts of energy which would be enough to run the entire country. Although Hydroelectricity is a renewable resource and safe for the environment, Brazil has had a hard time finding a way to construct a dam without causing the deforestation of a lot of land. If Brazil can enforce their anti-deforestation policies and find a constructive way to build dams on the Amazon River they could become a great power in the global economy.




 * Brazil Embraces the BRIC Acronym: **

Brazil has embraced its positions as a BRIC nation and wants to lead the developing countries and shift the global power equation. Although Brazil may not lead the world in economic production, it has become a leader among LDCs and wants to lead these countries to prosperity. Brazil is a leader and supporter of third world disease research. Brazil has gotten the BRIC nations to meet and pushes for a BRIC front. If the BRIC nations can surpass the US and EU, the Brazil may become a major influence on the world, being a leader of the BRICS.




 * Brazil Challenges: **



This power point talks about the racial issues in Brazil. It first talks about the colonial legacy of a strict social hierarchy that first existed in Brazil with the plantations systems and slavery. It also talks about how Brazil is racially diverse, and how Brazilians of African descent have less opportunities in the work force and education than white Brazilians. It also briefly has information on deforestation in the Amazon rain forest and how illegal logging has negative effects on the environment and future for Brazil.

This video briefly describes racial issues in Brazilian society that exist today. media type="youtube" key="4d77uCRe6As" height="405" width="500"


 * Brazil's Solutions: **

Possible solutions for Brazil that are currently undergoing are racial quotas, infrastructure development and stopping the deforestation in the Amazon.

Racial Quotas: Racial quotas would make a certain percentage of black brazilians mandatory for admittance at certain instituions in the public sector or in universities. A certain amount of black Brazilians would have to be employed in entertainment and other commercial sectors as well. This solution has some potential problems because Brazil is racially mixed and it is hard to categorize people into different races. Also it will potentially cause social issues because of classifying people into different classes will create social tension by creating a hierarchy of races. If Brazilians started to classify themselves there would be a very complex system of classification because there are many different mixes of heritage.



Infrastructure:

Brazil is known for its poor infrastructure and unsafe roads where it is not uncommon to see turned over vehicles on the side of the road. The Lula administration has begun to deal with the issues also many companies, foreign and domestic have begun to invest in the development of roads. These solutions involve FDI (foregin developement investment) which could cause potential "parasitic" problems that could have inhibit economic developement in Brazil. Allowing domestic entrepeneurs to help improve infrastructure or the private sector would be the most beneficial to Brazil.



Issues with FDI: - Corporate Toll booths – toll booths are corporate investments in highway systems, while being able to have toll booths on the highways they develope. This becomes a potential problem because the companies place heavy fees for passage through the toll booths which could have crippling effects on the developing economy.

media type="youtube" key="r8GNzBMNgeY" height="323" width="528" This YouTube video talks about the infrastructure reform of Brazil's highways.

Deforestation: Land grabbing and Deforestation have been major issues in the Amazon Rain Forest where there is little enforcement. There is a lack of state and federal enforcement and Brazil needs to increase the number of police forces to enforce laws against land grabbing and deforestation.

Issues: - The government knows who owns 4% of private land in the Amazon Region. There are millions of acres of land that the government does not know the land ownership. Also the government may not be able to budget more enforcement in the Amazon where there is so much land to cover. For Brazil to be able to control Deforestation in the region, Brazil needs to increase law enforcement and have more formal ways to document land ownership. Another issues may be controlling arms trade because many Brazilians in rural parts have a great access to arms and disregard the state law enforcement that exists.

Works Cited:

McNeil, Donald. "Brazil and India Join the Top Ranks of Governments Supporting Research." //The New York Times//. The New York Times Company, 21 Dec 2009. Web. 5 May 2010. .

Margolis, Mac. "Why Brazil Is the Odd BRIC." //Newsweek//. Newsweek, inc., 06 Jun 2009. Web. 5 May 2010. .

Prada, Paulo. "For Brazil, It's Finally Tomorrow." //The Wall Street Journal//. Dow Jones & Company, 29 Mar 2010. Web. 5 May 2010. .

Barrionuevo, Alexei. "Brazil Aims to Prevent Land Grabs in Amazon." //The New York Times//. The New York Times Company, 26 Dec 2009. Web. 5 May 2010. .

Lawson, Tony. "Sustainable Developement in Brazil." N.p., Nov 1999. Web. 5 May 2010. .

Margolis, Mac. "Brazil's Oil Rush." //Newsweek//. Newsweek, inc., 02 Oct 2009. Web. 5 May 2010. .

Rohter, Larry. "Racial Quotas in Brazil Touch Off Fierce Debate." //The New York Times//. The New York Times Company, 05 Apr 2003. Web. 5 May 2010. .

Zissis, Carin. "Lula Unveils Major Infrastructure Investment Plan." //Americas Society//. AS/COA, 30 March 2010. Web. 5 May 2010. .