Abstract
The debate on structural determinants of development processes in contemporary societies is broad and multifaceted. Two particularly fruitful aspects of this literature are the approaches that emphasize the institutional legacy and path dependency elements, on the one hand, and theories which are based on the political and social dynamics of these societies, in order to try to explain those structural factors. Two recent representative works of these approaches, (Kurtz, 2013KURTZ, Marcus (2013). State building in Latin America. New York: Cambridge University Press.) and (Huber and Stephens, 2012HUBER, Evelyne & STEPHENS, John (2012). Democracy and the left: social policy and inequality in Latin America. Chicago: Chicago University Press.), are analyzed here, seeking to point out aspects of convergence between them and also the possibilities that their use open to interpret the Brazilian development experience. The article concludes that socio-centric approach to state-building, by (Kurtz, 2013KURTZ, Marcus (2013). State building in Latin America. New York: Cambridge University Press.), and the theory of power constellations, by (Huber and Stephens, 2012HUBER, Evelyne & STEPHENS, John (2012). Democracy and the left: social policy and inequality in Latin America. Chicago: Chicago University Press.), are promising tools to contribute to the advancement of the research agenda on development in Brazil.
Keywords:
state building; constellation power theory; path dependence; institutional change; Brazilian development