Brazil: New developmentalism and environmental conflicts in Latin American

The developmentalist debate returned to the public agenda in Brazil in early 2000. This ideology, conceived from the ideas of the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) was established in the country during the 1950s. In general terms it advocated State intervention in the economy and political nationalism in order to promote industrialization so that Brazil could overcome its subordinate and dependent status in the international division of labor. Today, the so-called New-developmentalism is being discussed by scholars and governmental actors not only as a proposal for theoretical analysis but also as a national project. The Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), assumes, in this configuration, a prominent place. The main projects of PAC are characterized by their grandeur in terms of environmental impacts and the numerous social conflicts that arise from them. The same logic is the basis for projects aimed at the expansion of Brazilian capitalism in neighboring countries in Latin America and in Africa. Target of complaints related to violations of rights by different social movements, especially those formed by traditional peoples, the criticism of these actors are based on questions about the mechanisms by which this development model is implemented and who benefits from it. In this article we intend to analyze the main proposals of regional development policies included within the "new-developmentalist" model, focusing on a project that aimed at constructing a large highway that would run through the territory of the Isiboro Secure National Park (Tipnis) in Bolivia, the focus of protests by Bolivian and Brazilian organizations. The project would cost US$ 415 million, 80% of which would be financed by the Brazil Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES) and its construction would be carried out by the Brazilian construction company OAS.