The Emergence of New and Successful Export Activities in Brazil : Four Case Studies from the Manufacturing and the Agricultural Sector

This paper investigates the emergence of new successful export activities in Brazil through the analysis of four industry case studies: furniture, swimwear, soybeans and grapes. Extensive secondary data research was done to study industries' historical development and to understand the elements that affect the discovery of new export-oriented activities and their diffusion in the economy. Detailed analysis was carried out to identify the role of the public sector in the discovery and diffusion process, if any. Comparison of the four experiences shows different models of diffusion and demonstrates how barriers to discovery, spillovers and institutional responses varied dramatically among the cases. The paper extracts some general conclusions concerning the role of pioneer firms, external actors and public sector institutions. Lessons learned aim to help policymakers design positive policyinterventions in Latin American countries