Brazil's Economy: Call for Papers


Papers welcomed on all aspects of economic activity in Brazil.

Of particular interest are papers on the accuracy of economic and demographic statistics, on the size and shape of the informal economy, on income and capital wealth per capita, inequality , the debt burden, and similar subjects.

Papers on all aspects of statistical methods for producing economic data, including traditional and non-traditional means of data collection are equally welcome. And papers on the practical problems of gathering data in large populous developing countries is a further area of interest.



World Economics Journal: Editorial

Dangerously Misleading Debt Data
The most powerful form of lie is the omission – George Orwell


Debt poses a serious problem in most developed countries, and in many developing ones. But statistical omission and obfuscation hide the true problem. Rapidly rising numbers of old age dependants plus unfunded pay-as-you-go social security schemes are already causing unrest. More is likely to follow as state backed promises of medical and old age support become impossible to fulfil.

The problem is far greater than official debt figures suggest. Government debt data in most countries massively understates the real situation. Almost all commentary on country debt is focussed on official Government country debt as a percentage of GDP. But this number represents only a fraction of real country indebtedness. More than 20 years ago the problem was illustrated vividly by Kotlikoff and Burns, in a book ...