Investimento estrangeiro direto e industrialização no Brasil

Abstract

Abstract: This work discusses the role played by foreign direct investment (FDI) in the process of industrialization in Brazil. It is suggested that FDI did not have a significant impact in the growth of Brazilian industry until the late fifties, as it was the national private capital which dominated the ieading industrial sectors in the early phases of industrial development. However, as industry became more capital- and technology-intensive, both the sate and foreign private capital took the lead. The FDI was a key actor in the implantation and development of the metal-mechanical industries, that shaped industrial growth since 1960. Moreover, it is argued that given the reduced fiscal and regulatory capabilities currently displayed by the Brazilian state, only the FDI could develop those dynamic industries associated with the new technological paradigm, like elctronics and telecommunications. However, FDI in Brazil have tended to neglect these industries. This places a challenge to future industrial growth in Brazil, as her industrial structure might be unable to follow a rapid international technological frontier.