Brazil is no longer condemned to be the " country of the future. " After six presidential electio... more Brazil is no longer condemned to be the " country of the future. " After six presidential elections over the past quarter century, the world's third-largest democracy and sixth-largest economy now has nearly twenty years' experience with low infl ation and a level of political stability that few countries in the world can match. Although some of the highest inequalities in the world remain, the Brazilian middle class has grown dramatically over the past decade to become the single largest socioeconomic group. Self-suffi cient in petroleum and on the verge of exploiting some of the planet's largest and deepest offshore oil fi elds, Brazil has also become the world's greenest large economy, with nearly three-quarters of its energy provided by hydroelectricity and biofuels. In 2014 the country will host the World Cup, and in 2016 Rio de Janeiro will follow up as the site of the Summer Olympics. Although recent economic growth has been disappointing, as most of the world was shaken by the massive recession after 2008, Brazil posted impressive economic growth, in particular with the help of a world commodities boom. The rediscovery of Brazil has already produced an impressive array of books that attempt to sum up the country for the general public, policy makers, and the business community. As the world's attention turns to the World Cup and the P6245.indb 221 P6245.indb 221
Brazil is no longer condemned to be the " country of the future. " After six presidential electio... more Brazil is no longer condemned to be the " country of the future. " After six presidential elections over the past quarter century, the world's third-largest democracy and sixth-largest economy now has nearly twenty years' experience with low infl ation and a level of political stability that few countries in the world can match. Although some of the highest inequalities in the world remain, the Brazilian middle class has grown dramatically over the past decade to become the single largest socioeconomic group. Self-suffi cient in petroleum and on the verge of exploiting some of the planet's largest and deepest offshore oil fi elds, Brazil has also become the world's greenest large economy, with nearly three-quarters of its energy provided by hydroelectricity and biofuels. In 2014 the country will host the World Cup, and in 2016 Rio de Janeiro will follow up as the site of the Summer Olympics. Although recent economic growth has been disappointing, as most of the world was shaken by the massive recession after 2008, Brazil posted impressive economic growth, in particular with the help of a world commodities boom. The rediscovery of Brazil has already produced an impressive array of books that attempt to sum up the country for the general public, policy makers, and the business community. As the world's attention turns to the World Cup and the P6245.indb 221 P6245.indb 221
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