Brazil's Post War economic history has been marked by inflationary booms and busts, which kept large parts of the population poor, as income distribution remained highly skewed, and most governments failed to put enough efforts and resources into education and health. That seems to have changed recently, as an increasing number of studies have shown considerable advances in the incomes of the lower and the middle classes. This essay examines those findings and puts them into a historical perspective, discussing earlier attempts and hopes of Brazilian policy makers to advance the welfare of the population. It concludes that while the last fifteen years have been remarkable for the country to achieve macroeconomic stability and while the increasing efforts of supporting the poor seemed to have been moving income distribution slowly towards a more equal level, there is still a long way to go. The 2008 world financial crisis also hit Brazil hard, but the recovery has been smoother and faster than in any OECD country. The impact of the current crisis may provide a good test as to the robustness of the previous trends to further the wellbeing of the poor and the middle class

RESUMO Este ensaio analisa o experimento argentino “currency board” durante a década de 1990, tanto do ponto de vista teórico quanto histórico. Descobriu que as tentativas anteriores de controlar a inflação com uma taxa de câmbio quase fixa em um ambiente altamente politizado deveriam ter sido uma lição a ser ouvida. Ao detalhar as várias deficiências das políticas econômicas domésticas, um amplo espaço é dedicado a examinar os mercados de capitais internacionais e seu impacto no programa argentino. Além disso, sustenta-se que o ambiente político argentino, cuja estabilidade foi crucial para o sucesso nos primeiros anos, deteriorou-se tanto depois de 1996 que contribuiu significativamente para o colapso do programa econômico e do próprio sistema. O ensaio conclui com uma breve consideração das políticas econômicas chilenas, que foram caracterizadas por um grande grau de pragmatismo e prudência e, consequentemente, conseguiram escapar do terrível destino de seu vizinho.

ABSTRACT This essay analyzes the Argentine “currency board” experiment during the 1990s, both from a theoretical and historical point of view. It finds that earlier failed attempts to control inflation with a quasi-fixed exchange rate in a highly politicized environment should have been a lesson to heed. While detailing the various shortcomings of the domestic economic policies, ample space is devoted to ex- amine the gyrating international capital markets and their impact on the Argentine program. Moreover, it is maintained that the Argentine political environment, the stability of which was crucial for success in the early years, deteriorated to such an extent after 1996 that it significantly contributed to the breakdown of the economic program and the system itself. The essay concludes with a short consideration of the Chilean economic policies, which were characterized by a great degree of pragmatism and prudence and consequently succeeded to escape the dire fate of its neighbor.