The 1988 Brazilian Constitution and its Country Project: is There Still Room to Dream

In 1988, Brazil promulgated its new Constitution, which represented the final act of the long democratic transition begun a decade earlier. At that moment, contrary to the dominant trend in the capitalist West, a commitment was made to social well-being, focusing on state action and on the expansion of democratic participation as ways to overcome a long history of inequality and exclusion. The constitutional promises, however, have not been fully realized. The country faced long periods of severe financial difficulties that limited government’s ability to act. At the same time, conservative forces resisted continuously, seeking to empty the state project promised in 1988. Despite the difficulties, society has experienced great advances, however, the dreamed break with a reality of poverty and exclusion did not happen. And today, faced with a scenario of global economic downturn and extreme financial State fragility, there are growing voices that defend the abandonment of constitutional values, betting on markets as a way to overcome the current difficulties.