Green Re-Industrialisation of Brazil: A Paradigm Shift under PT government

Recent debates on the nexus between economic growth and environmental policies have permeated Brazil’s political discourse. The 2022 governmental plan of the Brazilian Workers’ Party (PT) proposes the green re-industrialisation of Brazil, aiming to bridge these values. As the world’s most biodiverse country and home to the Amazon rainforest, Brazil’s developmental strategy significantly impacts global climate change discussions. Utilising Peter A. Hall’s theory of policy paradigms and social learning, this article examines the PT’s governmental plans to assess the extent of the paradigm shift proposed by PT to Brazil’s developmental path. The analysis suggests that the changes proposed by PT in 2022 are set to be incremental rather than disruptive, altering policy instruments but not the party’s developmental goals. Furthermore, PT’s narrow electoral victory and the resulting broad coalition present significant political resistance. The study underscores the role of ideas in policy and institutional change, highlighting the importance of ideational discourse in shaping Brazil’s developmental path.