Protectionist economy?

Among the numerous fantasies created by the media and the opposition to try to weaken the government of President Dilma Rousseff, one of the most delusional and absurd is that the PT, since assuming the Presidency of the Republic ten years ago, has led a shift in the Brazilian economy towards protectionism.

Any serious economic analyst knows that this interpretation is not supported by the facts. It is based solely on the prejudice that, in economics, progressive governments are averse to any initiative close to liberalism and tend to resort to statist measures.

This is a gross oversimplification. Nowadays, some of the greatest economic successes worldwide are being achieved precisely by progressive governments. And one of the prime examples is Brazil, which has managed to keep at bay the most harmful effects of the general collapse that has affected some of the world's leading economies. Not only that: Brazil has been combating poverty and hunger, reducing inequality and unemployment, and keeping inflation at perfectly tolerable levels, despite the malicious hysteria of some media outlets.

All these achievements are not the result of a "liberal" or "statist" economic policy. The PT government knew how to balance what would be best for Brazil. It rejected the rampant privatization before 2003, but also did not adopt measures that would inhibit private initiative—on the contrary, it continues to seek ways to stimulate the industrial sector. In international trade, the priority of the Dilma government has always been to preserve Brazil's interests, maintaining a fair and loyal relationship with partner countries.

One of the fruits of this successful policy was the selection of Brazilian Roberto Azevêdo, with the support of the Dilma government, for the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This is a recognition not only of the economic importance acquired by Brazil in the last ten years, but also of the respect shown by the country for WTO rules. And one of the principles most dear to the WTO is precisely the fight against economic protectionism.

A report by Global Trade Alert, an organization that monitors policies affecting international trade, has put an end to any possible doubt and the claims of those who said, without presenting concrete data, that the Brazilian economy is more protectionist. According to the report, Brazil is the least protectionist of the G20 members, a group that brings together the 20 most industrialized countries on the planet. In other words, it is less protectionist than the US, Canada, Germany, Japan, and other countries.

The document, according to a text from the "Wall Street Journal" reproduced by "Valor Econômico," reveals a growth in protectionism worldwide, with many governments favoring local producers and harming foreign competitors—a result of the trade war that spread after the outbreak of the economic crisis. The increasingly common practice of measures such as the artificial devaluation of currencies to encourage exports and the monetary expansion maneuvers adopted in recent years by the four most advanced economies—the US, the European Union, Japan, and Great Britain—are nothing more than disguised protectionism. And poorly disguised at that.

Furthermore, the Global Trade Alert indicates that the number of protectionist measures adopted from October 2012 to March of this year was the highest since the beginning of the global financial crisis in 2008, and that many of these measures were taken in a disguised manner (such as bailouts for specific sectors and subsidies for local producers). Precisely because it adopted a series of liberalizing actions, Brazil ranked last in protectionism during the period studied.

Therefore, the opposition's accusations that the federal government has been "protectionist" only mean one thing: that the PT government continues to protect the interests of the Brazilian people, ensuring that Brazil does not miss opportunities, becomes increasingly competitive, and grows with inclusion, income distribution, and the fight against poverty.