This article presents preliminary results of research that aims to develop a theoretical framework to analyze the antecedents and implications of economic globalization in Brazil. More specifically, the article focuses on questions of governing and environmental sustainability related to the direct foreign investment that has been made in the automobile industry in the Greater Curitiba, state of Paraná. The research adopts a perspective on globalization that takes into account both global structures and mechanisms as well as the decision-making sphere of local government. The authors come to the conclusion that researchers should include social as well as political aspects in their analyses, as well as research the investments, strategies and operations of transnational firms in Brazil, employing interdisciplinary approaches that take international economic policy into account.
globalization; transnational enterprise; automobile industry
