This edited collection provides a thorough historical, statistical, and institutional description of the current Brazilian economy and the previous economic structure from which it is emerging. The contributions explore the institutional economic and cultural forces shaping the current development of the Brazilian economy and discuss how they will influence future progress. Together, the chapters form a picture of the international implications of Brazils emergence as a major world economic power. Topics covered include the growth and shrinkage of industry, the consumption boom and the financial crisis, sustainable financial growth and public debt management, the evolution of antitrust policy and the privatization of state-owned firms, and more. Academics and researchers of BRICS countries and Latin American and Caribbean studies will find these contributions a valuable addition to their research. Brazil is the most populous economy in Latin America today with the second highest GDP among the emerging BRIC economies, after China , and the second per capita GDP among the BRIC economies after Russia . The objective of the proposed book is to provide a thorough historical, statistical, and institutional description of the Brazilian economy along with a most recent account of what is presently going on in Brazil and the type of economy from which Brazil is emerging. The topics addressed in this book will increase the reader's awareness of the institutional economic and cultural forces that shape the dynamism of the Brazilian economy today and will continue to do so for the years to come.Some of the questions that this book will address are: How did the Brazilian economy evolve into what it is today? How does the Brazilian economy affect the developing and industrialized countries and why should the present state of the Brazilian economy be of any interest or concern to the rest of the world? How is the Brazilian banking sector evolving and what role do privatel£¦