DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC-REFORM - THE VIEW OF BRAZILIAN ELITES

Based on a survey of Brazilian elites (politicians, public officials, business and trade union leaders), this study first seeks to establish a relationship between valuing democracy as an institution and ascribing priority to market-oriented reforms. After characterizing various Brazilian elite sectors vis-a-vis their degree of acceptance of market-oriented and democratic values, the article examines the relationship between market culture and democratic culture. The data point to a complex relationship between the political and economic dimensions in the view of the elites, challenging both the obligatory link between authoritarianism and economic restructuring and the indissolubility of political liberalism and economic liberalism.