The Use of Economists in Society: Hayek in Brazil

Abstract This article examines Friedrich Hayek's visits to Brazil during the military dictatorship, contrasting them with his experiences in Chile and Argentina. Primary sources, including correspondence and newspaper records, are used to reconstruct Hayek's activities in Brazil and analyze the cold reception he received from government authorities. The article argues that, unlike in Chile and Argentina, where Hayek was received by high-ranking officials and his ideas were used to support economic policies, in Brazil his presence was ignored by the government. The authors attribute this difference to the national development strategy adopted by the Brazilian military regime, which favored strong state intervention in the economy. The article concludes that the usefulness of renowned economists to authoritarian regimes depends on the compatibility of their ideas with current economic policies. Economists’ travels must be understood not only from the supply side, that is, their motivation to get to know and influence the world, but also from the demand for their ideas from groups linked to the government.