Explaining Brazil

When he left office, Michel Temer's administration was evaluated as good or great by only 7 percent of Brazilians. 62 percent thought his government was either bad or terrible. While these are far from positive figures, they actually represent an improvement. At one point, only 3 percent approved Temer, while 73 percent didn't care for him. Was he as bad as most Brazilians seem to think? And what is the legacy he leaves behind? That's what try to answer this week. Read show notes. Support the show

Reporter Raphael Ferreira was at the Ministries Esplanade and covered Jair Bolsonaro's inauguration up close for The Brazilian Report. Find out what it was like at the ceremony. Read show notes. Support the show

At the end of November, Brazil's Ministry of Health signed an agreement with leaders of the food and drink industry to reduce the amount of sugar in their products by 144 thousand tonnes by 2022. But is it enough? Read show notes. Support the show

To discuss the successes and shortcomings of the Brazilian version of the consumerism fest that is Black Friday, we spoke to Nilton Kleina, editor at Tecmundo, one of Brazil's main tech news websites. This week's podcast is supported by Voom, an Airbus company. Voom is an on-demand helicopter booking platform that allows its passengers to fly between nine different helipads in the city of São Paulo from Monday to Saturday for less than BRL 500. Read show notes. Support the show

One arena where racism is still apparent today is football, Brazil's national sport and so often a reflection of society as a whole. Despite the majority of players being non-white, they are often treated in stereotypes. While the white players of European origin are strong-willed leaders, black players are seen as tricky, inventive, but ultimately unintelligent and untrustworthy. Read show notes. Support the show

Political turmoil seems to be the rule rather the exception in Brazil. In 2010 Lula became the only democratically elected president who was handed power by another democratically elected president, and who then passed the torch to a third consecutive democratically elected president - without any coups, deaths, impeachments, or resignations getting in the way. Read show notes. Support the show

To discuss the environmental challenges facing Brazil's soon-to-be president, we spoke with Gustavo Faleiros, coordinator of the organization Info Amazônia, a network of organizations and journalists which deliver updates from the nine countries of the Amazon rainforest. Read show notes. Support the show

President-elect Jair Bolsonaro's future administration has started to take shape. What will be the main issues that the president-elect will have to tackle? Read show notes. Support the show

Jair Bolsonaro will, on January 1st, become Brazil's 38th president. What does his victory mean? And how will his presidency be like? That's what Gustavo Ribeiro, Euan Marshall, and Alana Rizzo (Albright Stonebridge Group) debate. Read show notes. Support the show

the conservative wave that swept across the country marks a major rupture. Or, instead, a critical transition - a concept developed by professors Carlos Pereira, of Fundação Getulio Vargas, Bernardo Mueller, of the University of Brasília, Marcus Mello, of the University of Pernambuco, and Lee Alston, of Indiana University in their book Brazil in Transition: Beliefs, Leadership, and Institutional Change.  Read show notes. Support the show

It is common to point out the problems with Brazil's failed public security system. We've talked to an institution that is proposing possible solutions for the violence crisis. Read show notes. Support the show

We analyze the reasons for the conservative tsunami that swept Brazil's 2018 election. Three main factors come into play. Read show notes. Support the show

In the last episode of our special podcast about Brazil's Constitution, we will talk about how the Constitution has endured the test of time. Read show notes. Support the show

In the third episode of our special podcast about Brazil's Constitution, we will talk about its biggest lasting legacies: human rights for all - and a unified healthcare system. Read show notes. Support the show

In the second episode of our special podcast about Brazil's Constitution, we will talk about the institutional framework created in 1988. Read show notes. Support the show

Brazil's Constitution is 30 years old today. We have prepared a podcast mini-series to discuss how this document came to be, its impact on the Brazilian people, and its legacy to our present - and future. Read show notes. Support the show

The race heads to the final days before Brazilians cast their ballots. What are the moves each candidate must make to raise their stock? Read show notes. Support the show

In the 1990s, the center-right seemed to be Brazil's dominating political force - embodied by the Social Democracy Party (PSDB). Now, many of the party's leaders are either tarnished by corruption or have fallen into irrelevance. Read show notes. Support the show

As Brazilians head to the polls in two and a half weeks, we've got to ask: What's the state of Brazilian democracy? Read show notes. Support the show

After Jair Bolsonaro's stabbing and the substitution of Lula as the Workers' Party official candidate, Brazil's presidential race has turned another corner. We explain what should happen next. - Part 1: The attack on Jair Bolsonaro - Part 2: Fernando Haddad, the new Lula? Read show notes. Support the show