Economic groups, distributive conflict and public funds during the dictatorship: construction companies and the dispute over the federal budget during the corporate-military regime
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15175/c1mnrk28Keywords:
Brazilian dictatorship (1965-1985), business community, public funds, state budgetAbstract
This article aims to analyse the administration of public funds and distributive conflict during the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship (1964-1985), questioning the role of economic groups in the allocation of the federal budget during this period, particularly large infrastructure construction companies. The purpose is to understand the impacts of the 1964 coup on the allocation of state-controlled resources and which social groups and classes benefited from and were harmed by budgetary policy during the period. The text is part of the recent historiographical debate on the role of business leaders in the Brazilian dictatorship and uses the concept of public funds developed by Francisco de Oliveira. The main source for the article is the Statistical Yearbook of Brazil published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), which provides annual data on the actual budget. After verifying high expenditures in the military portfolios and in the ministries responsible for infrastructure works, we conclude that the business-military pact of the dictatorship was not only about a political relationship and division of power, but also involved the distribution of resources and appropriation of public funds directly by these agents.
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