Problems of collective action are not, in general, susceptible to be overcome by negotiations among the relevant agents, requesting instead political mobilization of interest groups. The new institucional economics has included recently an approach of political economy in its analysis to study those situations, defined as social dilemmas. The present work aims to show how these studies have been made, in the theoretical field, illustrating the theory with an analysis of the dramatic events that culminated with Getúlio Vargas's suicide, a process which we consider insufficiently explained by traditional interpretations.
Vargas; theory of collective action; new institutional economics; social dilemmas; Brazil
