‘Lula government is an opportunity for liberals to renew themselves’ – 01/31/2023 – Panel

Recently sworn in as director of Instituto Millenium, political scientist Diogo Costa claims that the election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) represents an opportunity for liberalism to renew itself in the country.

The institute, which had former Finance Minister Paulo Guedes as one of its founders in 2005, is one of the most influential in the Brazilian liberal right, which advocates reducing the weight of the State.

“There is a generation of think tanks emerging around the world that are giving a new face to liberalism”, says Costa, who during Jair Bolsonaro’s government was director of Enap (National School of Public Administration), linked to Guedes’ portfolio.

In general, liberals give more weight to the economic issue, but Costa wants to explore new areas, including urban issues and existing impediments to carrying out major works.

“There is a debate about land use, densification and mixed constructions, which unite housing and services”. The pro-construction bias of the liberals is present in reactions to the “nimby” movements, an acronym in English for “not in my backyard”, of residents who do not accept living near new real estate developments or infrastructure projects.

Millenium is restructuring itself, with the search for new directors and specialists and a new headquarters in São Paulo. According to Costa, the fact that Brazil now has a left-wing government presents new challenges, but it also has advantages.

“Before, liberals spent 70% of the time explaining that they were not Bolsonarists. Now that is no longer necessary”, he says.

In addition, he adds, historically, opposition movements have had more “intellectual vigor” than pro-government ones. “For us, it’s an opportunity to deepen the brainstorming,” she says.

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