Discussion with Esther Dweck — Reflections on the Policy-Process

Esther Dweck served in the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management, as Head of Economic Advisory and as Secretary of Federal Budget between 2011 and 2016. After reading Valsa Brasileira, we will discuss with her what the thinking was in the administrations and reflect on the actual policy-process related to fiscal policy within the ministry.

We will talk about which policies have worked and should be expanded further, and which have failed and should be scaled back. Then, we will discuss the reactions within the political economy framework and what are possible reasonings for the economic policies that were implemented in Brazil since 2016 and some of their consequences. Finally, we will discuss on what basis policy can and should be formulated in the future.

Biography:
Associate Professor at the UFRJ Institute of Economics. She holds a doctorate in Economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2006), with a visit at the LEM of Scuola Sant'Anna, in Pisa, Italy. She is a specialist on Public Sector Economics, Growth and Economic Development, researching primarily on the following themes: fiscal regime and State participation, demand-led growth, micro-macro integration, balance of payments restriction, analysis input-output and simulation models. Between 2011 and 2016, she served in the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management, as Head of Economic Advisory and as Secretary of Federal Budget.

Professora Associada do Instituto de Economia da UFRJ. Possui doutorado em Economia pela Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (2006), com período-sanduíche no LEM da Scuola Sant'Anna, em Pisa, Itália. Tem experiência na área de Economia, com ênfase em Economia do Setor Público, Crescimento e Desenvolvimento Econômico, atuando principalmente nos seguintes temas: regime fiscal e participação do Estado, crescimento liderado pela demanda, integração micro-macro, restrição de balanço de pagamentos, análises de insumo-produto e modelos de simulação. Entre 2011 e 2016, atuou no Ministério do Planejamento, Orçamento e Gestão, no cargo de Chefe da Assessoria Econômica e como Secretária de Orçamento Federal.