Introduction -- The context: the challenge of boosting competitiveness -- The story: institutions, actors and port reform legislation -- The theory: institutional change and business lobbying -- Full steam ahead - spurs to port reform legislation -- A perilous journey - institutions and actors...

<title>ABSTRACT</title> Mercosur faces a number of challenges in furthering its regional integration. This article considers whether theories developed for European regionalism, such as neo-functionalism and liberal inter-governmentalism, provide a suitable framework for analysing the Mercosur case. The...

The article examines why the automotive industry invested over US$20 billion in Brazil in the second half of the 1990s, focusing on how political economy factors influenced investment decisions. It is argued that, in a context of economic and policy uncertainty, when the state creates...

The article examines why a decade of inter-regional negotiations failed to result in an EU-MERCOSUR agreement, notwithstanding motivating factors at the international, national and societal level. It focuses on inter-regional trade and investment flows to underline the practical value of any...

This article analyses the case of port modernization reform in Brazil and explains why business action and influence varies at different stages of the reform process. Specifically, it accounts for business' exceptional role in policy formulation, but subsequent weak performance in contributing...