The Heat discusses Brazil, corruption allegations and future woes

The Heat

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has responded as protests erupt in Brazil over alleged government corruption and economic woes. The Heat discusses the scandal and the problems being faced by Brazil.

According to the United Nations Development Program, corruption in Brazil amounts to $200 billion Reais (62 billion US dollars) per year. That’s twice Brazil’s 2014 health budget and two and a half times its education budget.

When President Dilma Rousseff ran for office she announced her intention to use Brazil’s future oil profits to help the economy and avoid the corruption and mismanagement that have plagued other oil-rich countries in the developing world. Fast forward less than three months into her second term. The Brazilian president is facing massive protests as Petrobras, the state-run oil company, reels from a $3 billion bribery scandal and Brazil’s economy faces contraction for a second consecutive year. Later we’ll talk to several Brazilian scholars and a member of the protest movement.

CCTV’s Stephen Gibbs provided the latest updates from Brazil.

The Heat discussed the issue with these experts:

  • Paulo Sotero, the director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
  • From Brazil, Joao Feres Junior who is a political science professor with the Institute of Social and Political Studies at the State University of Rio de Janeiro.
  • Mark Langevin, the director of BrazilWorks, a U.S. based consulting firm. He offers strategic advice in Brazil and the United States.
  • From Sao Paulo, Rogerio Chequer is a founding member of “Vem Pra Rua” or “Come to the Streets”, a part of the protest movement in Brazil.
  • The Heat continued with the discussion.