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Summary
Coffee - Since the mid-19th century Brazil has been the world’s largest coffee producer. For a long time coffee was the main product of the country’s export portfolio, as well as its most important economic resource. Today the Brazilian producers face a fierce competition in the world market, because of the new demands for methods of production and trading.
Monetary system - On December 31, 1964 the Brazilian dictatorial rulers created the Central Bank, in an initiative not only to improve the relationship among the economic agents, but also to stabilize the money market, and to make more efficient the financial system. During these forty years the Central Bank has had to deal with the highest inflation rates and the resulting devaluation against the national currency.
Public transportation - Since the mid-1990s the public railway transportation system in Brazilian metropolitan areas has not expanded due to the lack of investment. Exceptions are the cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil - Dozens of proposals to create new states and federal territories in the country have been under debate in the National Congress. That issue has raised discussions and protests from members of the local elite. In that context pro-creation and strong opposition groups have appeared.
Health - The implementation of the Programa Saude da Familia (the Health Family Programme) by the federal government has changed the conception of providing medical care to the population: from the focus on the disease to the focus on the human being. The new health model prioritizes the prevention and the early diagnosis of diseases.
Environment - For nearly sixty years the Tiete has been considered a dead river within the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo: its water is a source of stink and diseases because of the raw sewage and industrial toxic waste carried away from houses and factories. That is why the Sao Paulo State government has been investing heavily in a costly river recovery project, which is beginning to show results.
Trade - The act of making illegal copies of tapes, computer programmes, books or counterfeit products in order to sell them is called piracy, and it has been causing serious economic losses to the country’s trade and image. The developed nations have been taking strict retaliation measures against countries in which piracy is widespread, including Brazil.
History - Sixty years ago a series of historical events made the year 1945, in many historians’ opinion, the most important of the 20th century. In the world, the end of the II World War, the beginning of the atomic era, and the establishment of the United Nations. In Brazil, came to an end the Getulio Vargas’s dictatorial regime.
Culture - Traditional populations are a particular group of people whose way of life is based on family work. In Brazil there are many different traditional communities whose knowledge enriches the country’s cultural heritage. The intense change of the modern world, however, makes it difficult for them to keep their way of life.
Economy - The economist Roberto Macedo has delivered a speech on the subject: ‘From Macroeconomics to Microeconomics, the Market and the Issue of the Lost Decades (1980s and 1990s)’. The talk has taken place at the Federacao do Comercio do Estado de Sao Paulo’s Council of Sociology, Economy and Politics.
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