Brazil Summit 2019 | The Economist

Brazil’s markets have surged since Jair Bolsonaro’s victory in the country’s presidential election. With the new presidency, and as Congress aims to pass key reforms, all eyes are on the world’s eighth-largest economy. Local investors now seem confident that better days are on the way. After a grinding recession, the longest in Brazil’s history, recovery has been slow to materialize. But the markets seem unperturbed. Some of the optimism is based on a conviction that after such a long slump, a rebound cannot be far off.

Brazil requires not only deft fiscal management and continued anti-corruption efforts, but also a solid strategy to be more competitive in today’s tough world. Will economic pragmatism triumph over the new government’s ideological crusades? Where does Brazil stand in comparison to other key Latin American economies, where recent presidential elections have also taken place against a backdrop of sluggish economic growth and anger over crime and graft? How will the international community respond to another populist, far-right leader?

From a business perspective, how can Brazil foster and improve entrepreneurialism and innovation in the coming decades? What are the promises for the largest startup ecosystem in the region? Can cutting-edge technologies help solve Brazil’s most pressing issues?

Join The Economist’s editors and more than 200 government and business leaders to evaluate Brazil’s progress and discuss the country’s social, political and economic future in the year and the decade ahead.