Date of Graduation

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)

Department

Public Policy and Administration

Committee Chairperson

Francis Atuahene, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kristen Crossney, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Angela Kline, Ph.D.

Abstract

Despite decades of economic reforms and growing international integration since the 1990s, Brazil has remained one of the most protectionist large economies in the global trading system. Tariff levels remain relatively high, the country maintains a limited network of trade agreements, and non-tariff barriers play a significant role in shaping market access. Existing explanations for this persistence have focused primarily on the influence of organized interests, particularly import-competing industries, and the enduring influence of developmentalist ideas rooted in Brazil’s import-substitution industrialization (ISI) legacy.

This dissertation argues that these explanations are incomplete without accounting for a third explanatory dimension: institutions. It examines how the design of Brazil’s trade governance system shapes policy processes and influences trade policy outcomes. The central research question asks to what extent Brazil’s trade governance institutions contribute to the persistence of protectionist policies and constrain the advancement of trade liberalization.

Using a theory-informed interpretive case study, the dissertation analyzes Brazil’s trade governance framework between 1995 and 2025. Drawing on legal documents, administrative regulations, policy reports, and academic literature, the study employs institutionalist frameworks to examine how the design and operation of trade-related institutions appear to shape policy outcomes and contribute to policy inertia.

The findings suggest that Brazil’s trade institutions themselves help sustain a path-dependent policy trajectory, limiting the political feasibility of comprehensive liberalization and contributing to the country’s persistent pattern of limited trade integration.

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