The agroextractivist sector and Brazil in the capitalist world-system

Abstract

The capitalist fraction that corresponds to Brazilian agribusiness constantly places itself in a position of alleged economic centrality, thus claiming a relevant role in national economic development, which would justify its attacks on the State. However, what is historically observed is the maintenance of Brazil as a subordinate nation at the international level, raising the question of what the responsibility of agribusiness would be in this vicious cycle. This empirical analysis aims to investigate the potential relationships between the significance and participation of the agroextractivist sector in determining Brazil's position within the global division of labor (GDL) of the capitalist world-economy. Grounded in world-system analysis, the study seeks to establish objective criteria to quantitatively support the understanding that Brazil functions as a semi-peripheral economy, anchored by the disproportionate weight of its agroextractivist sector. The research employs a socio-historical quali-quantitative approach, encompassing: (I) an examination of the country's foreign trade patterns, involving visual representation and discussion of the export structure; (II) cluster analysis of economic complexity indices for a selection of countries to form groups based on complexity proximity, aiming to identify Brazil's position in the global division of labor. The findings suggest that the disproportionate weight of the agroextractivist sector in the Brazilian economy, as evidenced by the export profile, contributes to the country's continued status as a semi-peripheral nation, as indicated by the cluster analysis conducted.