Opinion

Presidential candidates face a variety of challenges regarding the economy

Former Lula wants voters to remember the good economic times of his presidency. But he has to detach himself from Dilma Rousseff. Photo: Marlene Bergamo/Folhapress)

“Inflation is when money is worthless. A recession is when money has value, but it’s not in your pocket.” This one-liner came from the “Analyst from Bagé,” a legendary character in Brazilian literature. The forthright Freudian therapist delivered blunt reactions when patients broached their issues. Unfortunately, the economic reality of Brazil 2022 combines both problems — there is no money in Brazilians’ pockets and its very value is dropping due to double-digit inflation.

Available data shows that voters have heightened awareness of the Brazilian economy, employment, poverty, and inflation as priority issues in advance of October’s elections. Therefore, candidates have a mission to explain their plans to improve these conditions that matter to voters. However, each of the candidates will have unique challenges when addressing voters.

President Jair Bolsonaro will have to explain the successes and failures of his administration. In other words, what was and what was not done during his governance....

Mauricio Moura

Mauricio Moura is the founder and chief executive officer of Ideia Big Data. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Sector Economics from think tank Fundação Getulio Vargas and is also a visiting scholar at George Washington University.