Introduction and Overview

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores some contemporary issues surrounding economic structure in Brazil from an explicitly analytical perspective. It introduces the reader to current debates in macroeconomic policy and analysis. The book examines a history of recent policy initiatives that have attempted to marry growth with low levels of inflations. It focuses on inflation and Fonseca's analysis reveals the fragility of the current Real policy. The book takes an explicitly regional perspective, although the regional definitions vary from macro to individual states. It examines infrastructure issues, broadly defined. The book focuses on agriculture, still a major source for Brazilian export revenues as well as a contributor to employment and wealth generation within the country. It provides some international perspective by exploring the impact of Brazil's joining MERCOSUL.