Abstract:
This paper discusses the role that oil industry plays in the Brazilian macroeconomics and uses a projection method to formulate different scenarios, covering the 2013-2020 period. A model that emphasizes the external sector is used to evaluate the hypothesis that development of oil industry - through the pre-salt layer - will raise potential economic growth of the country, considering that restrictions on balance of payments and fiscal can be mitigated. It was found that international oil price is a key element for domestic economic policy, given its impact on domestic prices. The projections indicate that the average growth rate of Brazil - conditional on trajectory of increasing oil production and economic policies adopted - will follow low until 2020.
Keywords:
potential growth; Brazil; oil; forecast; external sector