Blog 4
When Talent Meets Experience
Our timing for reading this book was impeccable, as the
recent World Cup held in Brazil provides the opportunity to reapply a lot of
Foer’s metaphors. For example, we can extend the metaphor from chapter 5, “How
Soccer Explains the Survival of Top Hats,” to compare Brazil’s recent World Cup
performance to its economic performance.
Entering the World Cup, Brazil’s soccer team was viewed in
much the same way as its economy. Brazil was seen as a strong contender to win
it all, just as its economy is seen as a strong contender to be a Great Power.
However, Brazil’s soccer team failed when matched up against the traditional
favorite Germany, just as Brazil’s economy has been unable to match both pre-established
powers and the rising economy of China. One of the main detriments to Brazil,
its lack of discipline, applies to both its economy and its soccer.
As Foer explains, Brazil is rich in the naturals – both natural
resources and natural talent. It has lots of oil and a vast rainforest that
could be utilized for economic gain. However, what Brazil lacks is discipline. Its
economy does not have the governmental control necessary for sustained growth, just
as its soccer team did not have the control over its passing or defensive
assignments needed to win a game. Brazil needs to quickly understand that its
natural ability alone will not boost it to become a frontrunner in the world
economy. It needs to adopt regulations that minimize mistakes and help
eliminate the corruption mentioned by Foer.
Brazil’s eventual goal should be to have its soccer team
and economy run more like that of Germany. Germany stunned the Brazilian team
to the tune of a 7-1 win in the semifinals because it had immense discipline. Germany’s
precise passing and positioning allowed them to capitalize on the many
Brazilian mistakes. Similarly, Germany, along with many western states, has a
well-disciplined economy. It has rules, regulations, and a powerful leadership
with a clear vision for the future. The importance of discipline can be seen
throughout history. The unregulated 1920s US economy quickly collapsed into the
Great Depression until the New Deal introduced regulation to pull it out.
Brazil could even model itself after another BRIC country, China. As a
communist state, China has incredible regulation over its economy. It is also the
only major threat to the US economy at the moment. A major difference between
China and Brazil is that China has been able to harness its large population to
create immense exporting power. While Brazil does not need to go to that
extreme with its regulation, it is still essential that its government create a
predictable backbone on which to build its economy.
In the end, Brazil’s relative economic shortcomings stem
more from Brazilian failures than from globalization’s evils. While it may seem
that globalization hurts Brazil by allowing nations to take advantage of its
resources (and its star footballers), it will actually help Brazil to see how
successful nations operate. Brazil could learn a lot from Germany, both on and
off the pitch.
Very interesting! Do you think that Brazil could still learn from China and Germany if it withdrew more from the world economy, just by seeing what they did through the news? What would a return to more isolationism do to Brazil?
ReplyDeleteI think that it would help. If Brazil were to step out of the world economy, it would eliminate the possibility of international interference with policy. Keeping outside influences out would allow Brazil to restructure without meddling from other interests.
DeleteElliot,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the comparisons you made. One thing I'd like to add is a comparison that sums up both the economic setbacks in Brazil and the national team's failure; lack of leadership. The country's government is in the process of stabilizing, and I believe that only then will they be able to assert themselves into the world power picture. As for the national team, a lack of leadership on the pitchy clearly lead to their debacle. After star Neymar went down, the team was unable to overcome adversity in order to push for the title, despite having the home field advantage.
I agree. I think that is especially interesting to note given the recent elections in Brazil. We will see if Brazil is able to establish a more present leadership.
DeleteEliot-
ReplyDeleteI quite like the comparisons that you made between Germany and Brazil. However, your post only seems to focus on the internal reasons as to why Brazil is not a prominent member of the world economy. It does not seem to go past its internal turmoil and onto the global scale. I mean you compare it to other governments but there does not really seem to be a very firm Globalization view to this....
Eliot, I thought your post was quite interesting. I appreciate the comparisons you drafted between Brazil's economy and its soccer playing. I especially like the charge you make at the end of your post: encouraging Brazil to learn from Germany. But, sense the idea of globalization suggests increased interconnectedness of the world, do you think Germany could learn anything from Brazil? Perhaps an easy answer is they could learn what not to do? But do you think Brazil shows any other lessons?
ReplyDelete