OP-ED: Co-responsibility, not populism, is what Brazil and South Africa need By Lyal White
The Brazilian paradox of world-class institutions and pockets of excellence, juxtaposed with perpetual inequality and instability, has emblazoned a fault line of a divided nation. Uncertainty and recurring crises, and not the positivist national motto of “order and progress” adopted by its leaders at independence, defines the Brazil of today.
The numbers speak for themselves. Between 2011 and 2018, the Brazilian economy shrank by a third. Unemployment rose three-fold to 15% and inflation breached 10%, in what economists have described as the worst recession in 50 years. They may be from opposite sides of the political spectrum, but the PT and Bolsonaro promise the same thing: Renewal through political change. And herein lies the problem. Brazilians seek political solutions and patriarchal figures to solve their ongoing problems. An impossible order in a country with a flawed democracy and a crisis of political legitimacy.
A lack of delivery and increasing divisions in Brazil have brought about a populist response. Common conditions for populism include a crisis of political representation, inequality, economic instability and insecurity. Some see Curitiba as yet another island of excellence in the sea of Brazilian turmoil. But Jaime Lerner, three-term mayor of Curitiba who was the catalyst and driver of urban development and the progressive mindset imbued in the city, believes otherwise.Through simple co-responsibility, the Curitiba model can be adopted throughout Brazil,” maintains Lerner.
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