Development opportunity or national crisis?: The implications of Brazil’s political shift for elite philanthropy and civil society organising

The election of Jair Bolsonaro (and events leading up to it) saw Brazil’s political landscape transformed, from that of a leading nation in the rise of Latin America’s ‘pink tide’, to the regional embodiment of a global wave of alt-right populist politics. In their analysis of this shift, scholars have tended to focus on either the machinations of the country’s political elite or the apparent ideological about-turn among its electorate. Limited attention has been paid to the role and position of Brazil’s powerful corporate and financial elite. This chapter will examine the current political scenario through a focus on this