Empresários, trabalhadores e grupos de interesse : a política econômica nos governos Jânio Quadros e João Goulart, 1961-1964

This thesis analyses the formulation and implementation of economic policy in Brazil during the administrations of Jânio Quadros and João Goulart (1961-1964). The main objective is to understand why the Brazilian government was unable to tackle the countrys most urgent economic problems, such as rising inflation and a mounting balance of payments crisis. To do so, the study explores the way social groups, including entrepreneurs, workers, and representatives of foreign nation states, influenced economic policy outcomes. Making use of a wide range of data from confidential employers reports, labor periodicals and commercial newspapers, through to official government sources from Brazil, the U.K. and U.S. the thesis concludes that interest groups reactions are fundamental to explaining why economic programs failed in the early 1960s. While during the administration of Jânio Quadros employers attitudes played a major role, in the final phase of João Goularts presidency, a great distributional struggle broke out between capital and labor, setting the stage for the collapse of Celso Furtados Three-Year Plan. The findings are of great relevance given scholars general recognition that the inadequacy of the Brazilian government in tackling economic problems had a decisive impact on the fall of democracy in 1964, in turn paving the way for a 21-year military dictatorship