Computer Technology in Brazil: From Protectionism and National Sovereignty to Globalization and Market Competitiveness

摘要

This article seeks to outline some initial onclusions of ongoing research into the controversies and congressional debates that took place during the passage through the Brazilian National Congress of the bills (dated 1984, 1991, 2001, 2004) relating to informatics activities in Brazil. Which topics did the congressional controversies "heat up" around, and which led to their "cooling off" so as to make the formulation of a new law possible? What were the issues at stake that led to the promulgation of four informatics laws in such a short space of time? What led these debates from market protectionism and national sovereignty to globalization and market competitiveness? These questions can be answered by the a priori definition of groups and interests. However, the choice in this article is to follow the actors and their own strategies of formation and dissolution of groups, focusing on the tracks left by the debates in Congress, especially those formally recorded in congressional documents and in the press.