Paulo Roberto Neves Costa

Empresariado, regime político e democracia: Brasil, anos de 1990

The objective of the present study is to analyze the development strategies and the resumption of economic growth after the market-oriented reforms implemented in Brazil, according to the perception of representative tendencies within the industrial business class, having in view the redefinition of the role played by economic agents vis-a-vis the state and the international market. The first part focuses on the main changes that affected the Brazilian productive structure, specially the nature and volume of the transactions that modified the proportion of foreign investments in relation to domestic capital. In other words, we intend to identify the reconfiguration occurred in productive relations among the main industrial segments of industry, as well as its consequences in terms of the relative position of players and their strategic relations. Another structural aspect, dealt with in the second part, is the reconfiguration of the representative system of the various interests and the alteration of its functioning logic, which is now defined by the principle of voluntary adhesion and selective incentives, rather than the predominant compulsory scheme of the previous era. Finally, the third part concentrates on the proposals regarding alternative ways of development elaborated by industrial leaders. The analysis tries to detect the way in which industrial entrepreneurs take part in the debate on the resumption of economic growth in the long term and the perspectives of capitalism in Brazil, defined by alternative scenarios of the country’s insertion in the international market. This implies deepening the current model or taking a different route with an emphasis on a greater balance between the external attraction and internal induction factors. Economic reforms and industrial reorganization in the 1990’s The decade beginning in 1990 was remarkable in terms of reforms and structural changes in the economy, which affected the basis of industrial capitalism in Brazil and the role played by the different economic agents. The crisis of the national developmental model and the transition towards a market-centered model are the main features of this period. These changes also affected the different branches of industrial activity, exerting significant impacts in the performance of industry within the economic system as a whole. Moreover,Recognizing that it is important to study the behavior of the entrepreneurial class in relation not only to models of development and economic policy but also as linked to political institutions and democracy, this paper analyzes the relationship between the political action of entrepreneurs and the process of institutionalization and consolidation of democracy pertaining to the post-1988 Brazilian political regime. Taking the Commercial Association of Sao Paulo and the Federation of Commerce of the State of Sao Paulo as our references, we verify that, in relation to the authoritarian period, there was much more continuity than rupture in the ways in which these organizations thought and acted with regard to political institutions. This does not mean that they did not engage in any type of relatively effective political action, nor that there were no changes at all in their behavior. Rather, we argue that they acted with little regard to the characteristics of the arrangements that came to prevail in political institutions during the return and consolidation of democracy. Furthermore, we verify that this type of political action corroborates - through action, but also through lack of action - certain particularities of the prevailing political regime.

Os senadores-empresários: recrutamento, carreira e partidos políticos dos empresários no Senado brasileiro (1986-2010)

This article analyzes legislative recruitment of senators who used to be businessmen before entering politics under current Brazilian democracy. We examine whether, as established for the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, this kind of professional politician settles mostly in the parties on the right of the ideological spectrum and whether or not the connection between their social backgrounds and the parties they take part eventually shorten their ways to the Senate. For that, we use descriptive analysis of occupation, education, and political career data of 240 senators elected between 1986 and 2010. Our data show that even though they belong to Center and Right parties, senators who were businessmen do not have shorter careers, showing that the pattern of political career for that office is different from that observed for the Chamber of Deputies.

Elite empresarial: recrutamento e valores políticos (Paraná, 1995-2005)

This article analyzes some of the specificities of the political values of the entrepreneurial elite and its articulation with other socio-economic variables. This study centers on the state of Parana, in the years between 1995 and 2005. With the application of a survey, we were able to collect information on the social background, the political trajectory and the political values of the presidents of some of the most important entities for the representation of entrepreneurs in that state. Besides the variables that relate to the recruitment of this elite, we also noted a rather strong cohesion in regards to democratic values, which does not mean the inexistence of diverging views, however. Therefore, the study of the political values of the entrepreneurial elite makes it possible to better comprehend some important characteristics of this social group, namely its views on democracy and democratic institutions.

A elite empresarial e as instituições democráticas: cultura política, confiança e padrões de ação política

Resumo: O objetivo deste artigo e analisar a concepcao de democracia, a relacao com as instituicoes democraticas, o grau de confianca nelas depositado e alguns aspectos dos padroes de acao politica da elite empresarial brasileira nos dias de hoje. Utilizamos a nocao de elite empresarial , composta por aqueles que exercem a direcao de entidades de representacao dos diversos setores do empresariado, tendo por referencia, portanto, nao propriamente o criterio do poder economico ou da direcao de grandes empresas, como e usual nos estudos sobre elites economicas , mas sim o da representacao politica , ou seja, os dirigentes que foram eleitos pelos membros das entidades empresariais e exercem a articulacao dos interesses de seus representados. Os dados provem de entrevistas junto a dirigentes de entidades de diversos setores, de distinta natureza (sindical e associativa) e amplitude de acao (estadual ou nacional), verificando nao apenas as opinioes, mas tambem as suas justificativas , dando aos dados uma dimensao qualitativa, nem sempre utilizada nos estudos de cultura politica. Constatamos que ha por parte da elite empresarial brasileira uma forte adesao a democracia, muito maior do que a da populacao em geral, uma posicao favoravel as formas de participacao politica, alem de um grau maior de confianca e de satisfacao com as instituicoes democraticas. Abstract Abstract Abstract Abstract: The aim of this article is to analyze the concept of democracy, the relationship with democratic institutions, the trust placed in them and some aspects of the patterns of political action of the business elite in Brazil nowadays. We use the notion of the business elite, composed by those who are engaged in the direction of representative entities of various sectors of business, therefore, not exactly the criteria of economic power or direction of large companies, as is usual in studies on economic elites, but that of political representation: the leaders who were elected by members of the entities engaged in the business and articulate the interests of their constituents. Data come from interviews with directors of entities from various sectors distinct nature (trade union and associative) and range of action (state or national), checking not only the opinions but also their justifications or rationale, giving a qualitative aspect to data, rarely used in studies of political culture. We realized that the business elite has a strong adherence to democracy higher than the general population, it is favorable to political participation and a high degree of trust and satisfaction with Brazilian democratic institutions.

Como os empresários pensam a política e a democracia: Brasil, anos 1990

This work analyzes how entrepreneurs think politics, democracy and political institutions of the democratic regime in Brazil in the 1990’s. We intend to verify what those ideas and values could reveal about the political behavior of important entrepreneurs representatives organizations and its possible consequences on Brazilian democracy. Our conclusion is, despite on democratization, there were more continuities than changes in that way of thinking. It has consequences and reveal some particularities of the entrepreneurs political action patterns in Brazil.

Elite empresarial e elite econômica: o estudo dos empresários

Os objetivos do artigo sao verificar como a questao da elite se apresenta na literatura sobre empresariado no Brasil e contribuir para a construcao de uma estrategia de analise que se paute por essa questao no estudo dos empresarios. A analise dos estudos que tratam do empresariado como elite indica a existencia de algumas lacunas e imprecisoes. O uso da expressao “elite” nem sempre vem acompanhado do desenvolvimento de suas implicacoes teoricas e metodologicas. E os trabalhos sobre o empresariado que recorrem a metodos de estudo de elites tendem a associa-los, de forma precaria, ao tratamento de outras questoes, como a da classe. Nesse sentido, propomos a distincao entre elite empresarial, os dirigentes das entidades de representacao do empresariado, e elite economica, os dirigentes das grandes empresas. Pretendemos contribuir tanto para uma maior precisao das categorias analiticas, quanto para a construcao de metodos e hipoteses de trabalho mais eficazes no estudo dos empresarios. Ao mesmo tempo, propomos que as particularidades e semelhancas desses dois grupos que compoem a elite do empresariado sejam tratadas, sobretudo, mas nao de forma exclusiva ou isolada, a partir da questao da politica e das instituicoes politicas, em particular seus valores e suas formas de acao politica.

Recrutamento, valores e padrões de ação política da elite empresarial

O objetivo deste artigo e analisar as caracteristicas da elite empresarial no Parana. O uso de metodologias tipicas dos estudos sobre elites e sobre cultura politica, articuladas a analise da forma como se daria a acao politica, permitiu uma melhor caracterizacao dos representantes politicos do empresariado e, em particular, no que diz respeito a sua relacao com a democracia e o funcionamento de suas instituicoes. Tal relacao e considerada em um nivel fundamental do funcionamento da politica brasileira, o estadual. Entre 2010 e 2011, foram realizadas entrevistas com os principais dirigentes das entidades mais importantes na representacao do empresariado paranaense. Alem das informacoes sobre as trajetorias social, educacional e politica, o questionario buscou levantar tambem as justificativas das opinioes, das avaliacoes e dos padroes de acao politica. Constatamos que, de um lado, existe certa homogeneidade no que diz respeito as trajetorias e certa coesao em relacao aos valores politicos, a avaliacao sobre as instituicoes democraticas e aos padroes de acao politica por parte da elite empresarial paranaense. Alem da total adesao a democracia, ha um relativo grau de satisfacao com suas instituicoes, o que revela algumas caracteristicas das relacoes dessa elite e de seus representados com a politica e a democracia, e como, nesse aspecto, ela tambem se distingue da populacao em geral.