Where is the American right going and what does this have to do with Brazil

Can the free market, in its purest form, get in the way of parenting? This has been the concern of a new current of the right in the United States, concerned with the growing difficulty of maintaining a family in a liberal economy.

For this reason, groups such as the Center for Ethics and Public Policy (EPPC), a conservative think tank based in Washington, recently launched a manifesto in defense of state public policies that make life easier for parents.

In a special report for the People’s Gazette, journalist Gabriel de Arruda Castro unraveled what these new conservatives propose and talked to one of them. Most of the proposals seek more favorable working conditions for the financial security of families.

One of the signatories of the letter, researcher Patrick T. Brown recognizes the importance of liberal ideas in the economy for the American right, but says that this agenda is not enough in itself. “The economic perspective cannot be the only way to look at public policies; we need to think about the long-term impact for workers, families and communities.”

Over the past 10 years, American and European economic liberalism has had a strong influence on the new right in Brazil. Thinkers such as Milton Friedman of the University of Chicago or Friedrich Hayek of the Austrian School became popular. In street demonstrations, it was common to see the phrase “Less Marx, more Mises” on banners and T-shirts, a simple and direct criticism of the father of socialism and a compliment to Ludwig von Mises, pope of European liberalism.

Brazil, unlike the United States, has never been an effectively liberal and open economy. Traditional, so-called right-wing politicians have always found it difficult to remove the State’s weight from the market and taxpayers. And, to a large extent, they are sensitive to the need to use the public budget in favor of the poorest population.

Proof of this is that during the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Minister Paulo Guedes increased the transfer of income from Bolsa Família, which was renamed Auxílio Brasil, largely due to the economic crisis generated by the pandemic. He also gave up public resources to help companies retain their employees, paying them part of their salary so that they would not be fired.

In this sense, is it possible to say that Brazil, in its own way, has already incorporated what the new American right now proposes? Or do we still have to better adjust the role of the State in the economy? What other influences and agendas will the new American right have on the conservative and liberal field in Brazil? And what mobilizes the right in Europe today?

This is the starting point of this second edition, March 20, 2023, of Segunda Opinião. Commentators Paula Marisa, Flávio Gordon and Katia Michelin participate in this episode. Journalist Renan Ramalho, reporter for República in Brasília, makes his debut in the presentation, who starts to lead the program in place of Cristina Graeml.