Archive for 'Economy'
Brazil’s Lula Announces Anti-Crisis Plan Posted by Rachel on Mar 26, 2009
Brazil’s President Lula announced an ambitious plan this week to stimulate the economy and to ward off the global crisis. The plan is to invest R$34 billion (US$15.1 billion) into constructing homes for working class families. The plan also aims to create 1.5 million jobs and to increase the country’s growth rate. However, 6.5 billion…
Brazilian Economic News Posted by Rachel on Mar 18, 2009
Let’s take a look at what’s going on with the Brazilian economy, one of the most resilient in the world against the global economic crisis. The One Country that Might Avoid the Recession is…, Time Petrobras talks oil, biodiesel with Sao Tome & Principe, Energy Current Once solid, Brazil’s big food companies now wobbling, CNN…
Brazil to begin pumping oil in Tupi Posted by Rachel on Mar 9, 2009
Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil company, has announced that it will begin drilling for crude oil in the Tupi oil field in the Santos basin on May 1, 2009. Discovered in 2007, the oil field is estimated to have between 5 and 8 billion barrels of oil, but could potentially have up to 80 million barrels…
UCLA Launches Brazil Center Posted by Rachel on Feb 20, 2009
This month, the University of California, Los Angeles opened a center devoted to Brazil studies as a part of a larger center focusing on the Southern Cone. The center’s opening also featured an exhibit “Rio de Janeiro: Two Centuries of Urban Change, 1808-2008,” which will be on display at the Charles E. Young Research Library…
The Geography of Poverty Posted by Rachel on Feb 9, 2009
The Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper online has an excellent map showing poverty and development rates throughout Brazil. On the map, you can see level of family development, access to work, income, child development, standard of living conditions, access to information and learning, and vulnerability. You can also search by municipality. Below, the map shows…
Brazilian President Raises Minimum Wage Posted by Rachel on Feb 3, 2009
Effective February 1st, the national minimum wage in Brazil was raised to R$465 per month (US$201) from R$415 by order of the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The salary increase is expected to affect twenty percent of the Brazilian population, about 42 million people. However, each state has its own legal minimum wage…
Economic Crisis Hits Rio Carnival Posted by Rachel on Jan 28, 2009
The global economic crisis has begun to affect Brazil, with mass lay-offs and budget cuts. The latest victim of the crisis is Rio de Janeiro’s world famous Carnival celebration. First, price increases are hitting the samba schools hard. Materials used to create costumes and floats have are now much more expensive after a 7% increase…