Paradigmas econômicos e transformações democráticas em perspectiva comparada: discursos sobre a criação da Petrobras e a quebra do monopólio (1952-1997)

Abstract

This thesis investigates how economic paradigms shape interpretations and justificati-ons of the functions of the democratic state in two historical moments in Brazil: (a) the creation of Petrobras in 1953, under the developmentalist paradigm, and (b) the breaking of the state monopoly in 1997, under neoliberalism. The hypothesis posits that the ideological shift from Keynesianism to neoliberalism transformed the use of liberal representations and the meanings attributed to them. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that combines historical institutio-nalism and conceptual analysis, the study examines parliamentary speeches from two textual corpora: the first discussion of Bill No. 1.516 (1952) and the only discussion of Bill Nº 2.142 (1997). After identifying lexical patterns through topic modeling, I conduct a detailed analysis of the mobilized concepts, including nationalism, democracy, and capitalism. In 1952, natio-nalism and anti-imperialism were central themes supporting state interventionism, even among the Udenist opposition to the second Vargas government. By contrast, in 1997, deputies fra-med foreign capital as the engine of development. The research confirms t he h ypothesis by demonstrating that paradigms exerted a substantive influence o n p arliamentary s peeches and the meanings assigned to foundational concepts. Despite methodological limitations, this work underscores the importance of interdisciplinarity in understanding paradigmatic transitions and offers theoretical insights for rethinking democratic crises, sovereignty, and the role of the state in economic policies.