Using data from European Patent Office (1978-2005) related to three groups of countries (leaders, Asians and Latin-Americans), this paper aims to identify the structural change of Brazilian technological specialization and its nature between the two periods, pre and post commercial liberalisation. The paper confirms these structural changes with three results; i) a path of diversification of Brazilian technical base towards technologies with dynamic, but low, technological opportunities; (ii) an approximation with Latin-American technological specialization pattern; and (iii), a different effect of technological accumulation between leaders and followers. For leaders, accumulation means persistence of competences. For followers, that means the impossibility of entry in technical fields where there are not developed any competences.
Brazil Technological specialization; Leaders and followers countries; Patents
