Brazilianization and Structural Power: A Critical Response to The Economist's "The Rich World Should Beware Brazilification"

This working paper critically examines the editorial “The Rich World Should Beware Brazilification” (The Economist, February 12, 2026) through the lens of structural political economy. Drawing on dependency theory, financialization studies, and critical international political economy, the paper argues that the framing of Brazil as a fiscal cautionary tale obscures systemic asymmetries embedded in the international monetary hierarchy. The analysis distinguishes between domestic macroeconomic fundamentals and structural constraints associated with center–periphery relations in global finance. It further explores how fiscal discourse operates within broader processes of financial dominance, distributive conflict, and epistemic hierarchy. This version is released as a preprint working paper for academic circulation and debate.