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Reviewed by:
  • From Inside Brazil: Development in a Land of Contrasts
  • Peter Kingstone
Thomas, Vinod . From Inside Brazil: Development in a Land of Contrasts. Palo Alto: Stanford UP, 2006. Bibliography. Index. 153 pp.

Vinod Thomas served as director of the World Bank's program in Brazil from mid 2001 to mid 2005, and as a visiting faculty member in Brazil in the 1980s. The resulting intimacy shows through in the quality and breadth of his understanding of Brazilian development in this very comprehensive review of the country's prospects as well as its challenges and the solutions necessary to overcome them. Thomas' perspective is decidedly optimistic, though not naively so. He notes that the country has made considerable advances and compares Brazil favorably in a number of policy areas (such as social protection) to other developing countries. Nevertheless, he points out that the country faces significant challenges and progress will require courage and conviction to address them. His optimism seems to rest on two central reasons. First, the work is suffused with an evident respect for Brazilian scholars and policy-makers and their abilities to diagnose and address their own challenges. The book is filled with quotes and observations from key Brazilian officials and amply cites Brazilian scholarly sources. The other reason for Thomas' optimism lies in the sense he conveys throughout the book that Brazilian officials are largely in agreement on the key problems and the best policy approaches. Thus, to a large extent, solving the country's problems depends on political will to overcome vested interests and strengthening/developing the right institutions for making and implementing policy.

Thomas covers a vast array of topics in roughly 130 pages, including typical Washington Consensus priorities such as growth, trade, decentralization, and macroeconomic stability. But he focuses considerably more attention on less typical topics, such as: poverty and regional diversity, welfare, environmental sustainability, productivity, health, social protection, good governance, and institutional quality. That is a long list of topics in a short amount of space and, while Thomas does a good job summarizing the central problem and the reform [End Page 162] recommendation, the extent and depth of his discussion varies considerably. On some issues, like forest conservation (chapter 4), he provides ample background discussion with a sizable quantity of data. On other issues, he proceeds quickly without providing real background or discussion. The result feels uneven. On some issues, the discussion is insightful and thought-provoking. On others, it can seem a little facile.

As a World Bank official, it is not surprising that the agenda Thomas lays out for Brazil is consistent with the Bank's analyses and approaches to economic development and reform. That does not contradict Thomas' view that Brazilian policy makers essentially agree and that the development agenda comes From Inside Brazil. There is no question that a key group of policy makers (exemplified by Pedro Malan under Cardoso and by Antônio Palocci under Lula) have converged around a common policy agenda that is very much in line with the Bank's views. However, it does wash away any hint of controversy. Thomas does acknowledge that differences of opinion exist. For example, he notes that the issue of sustainable development generates significant conflicts. But, the discussion doesn't give any insight at all into what those conflicts might be and why Thomas' agenda might offer the best set of policy solutions.

This issue highlights the limitations of covering so many topics in so little space. Thomas is more than qualified to genuinely engage academic debates about problems and policy solutions. Genuinely engaging such debates would have helped to make a stronger case for his recommendations. For example, Thomas discusses provision of water services in under two pages. The section includes some valuable insights and data, but ends on a single paragraph indicating a preference for the private sector (without saying privatization) (98–99). Privatization generally, and especially of water, has generated ample controversy and, as a reader, I would have liked to see Thomas make some effort to make a strong case for it.

In sum then, the book offers a terrific review of a long list of issues confronting Brazil with some background information...

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