Please join the Australian Centre for Federalism for the 2024 Brazil Update, an engaging 60-minute live conversation with experts on Brazilian politics, governance, and democracy.

Dr José Antonio Cheibub (University of Pittsburgh), Dr Thiago Nascimento da Silva (ANU) and Dr Tracy B. Fenwick (ANU) will discuss the Brazilian political scene following Lula da Silva's return to power in 2023, focusing on his administration's governance challenges, the dynamics between his party’s progressive policy agenda and a significantly conservative, fragmented Congress, and other pressing issues such as the country's intense ideological polarisation, the influence of right-wing extremists within the opposition, and the state of democracy in Brazil, set against broader concerns of democratic erosion across the American continent.

Dr José Antonio Cheibub is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests include democratisation and the origins and consequences of democratic institutions. He has previously taught at the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Texas A&M University. Dr Cheibub is the author of four books, including the seminal "Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, and Democracy" published by Cambridge University Press, and his most recent co-authored work, "Parliaments & Government Formation," published by Oxford University Press. He has also contributed numerous articles to leading academic journals.

Following the debate, the floor will open for a 20-minute Q&A session, providing the audience with the opportunity to engage directly with our experts.

Light refreshments will be served in the foyer after the discussion.