Juscelino F. Colares, Ph.D., J.D. – Schott-Van den Eyden Professor of Business Law and Associate Director, Frederick K. Cox International Law Center at Case Western Reserve University

Dear Colleagues:

One major theory of revolution says it is triggered by “relative deprivation” – when rising expectations meet bitter disappointment. By this standard, Brazil must be on the precipice.

Five years ago, Brazil had been one of the world’s fastest growing economies for a decade, and had recovered well from the international Great Recession. The country was about to host the world’s two most popular events – the World Cup and Olympic Games. Its political system seemed to have stabilized as a liberal democracy after a long authoritarian period, as symbolized by election of Dilma Roussef, a torture victim of the old regime, as President.

Now President Roussef has been impeached. New President Michel Temer has an approval rating of about 10 percent – lower than the unemployment rate, which has more than doubled since 2014, to over 12 percent. The government has responded to the massive recession by adopting stringent austerity measures. As spending on the poor is cut, legislators protect their own benefits and refuse to raise taxes on the rich. Meanwhile, massive scandals threaten jail terms for much of the Congress – and, in response, legislators propose giving themselves amnesty.

Join us as Professor Colares – law professor and Ph.D. political scientist who earned his first law degree and became a tenured professor in Brazil – analyzes Brazil’s conditions and prospects.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies 

About Our Guest

Juscelino F. Colares is the Schott-van den Eynden chair in Business Law and Associate Director of the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Colares teaches courses in civil procedure, international business law and international environmental law. His scholarship explores interjurisdictional problems that emerge in litigation involving conflicts between domestic regulatory law and international trade, environmental and business norms. Colares’s research has appeared in leading peer-reviewed journals and law reviews, including the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Journal of International Economic Law, Journal of World Trade, Jurimetrics, Revista dos Tribunais (Brazil), Columbia Journal of European Law, Cornell International Law Journal, Georgetown International Environmental Law Review and Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law.

A former clerk for the Hon. Jean-Louis Debré, Chief Justice of the Conseil constitutionnel (the French Constitutional Court) (2008-09 term), Colares was also a visiting professor at Ecole normale supérieure in Paris. Prior to becoming a law professor, Colares, a Brazilian-born, naturalized U.S. citizen, practiced at Dewey Ballantine, LLP in Washington, D.C., where he litigated trade cases before federal agencies, federal courts and NAFTA panels. A versatile scholar, lawyer and economist, Colares was recently reappointed by the Office of the United Trade Representative to serve on the United States Roster of NAFTA Chapter 19 (Trade) Panelists.

Where We Meet

The Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities room is located in Room 206 of Clark Hall, 11130 Bellflower Road on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. This map highlights the event location for this week’s Friday lunch discussion.

Parking Possibilities

Participants who usually park in the Severance garage off East Boulevard could park there, and come out the exit labeled “Thwing Center.” It is no more than a five minute walk to Clark Hall. Turn right from the exit, and walk down the path between the University Center on the left and Thwing Center on the right. When that path ends bear left, with Mather Dance on your left, and take the next right. That path will take you past Haydn Hall on your right and to the west entrance of Clark Hall.

Other parking possibilities include metered parking on Bellflower, the lot at the Church of the Covenant on Euclid, or the Ford Road garage.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

April 21: New Research on Police Use of Deadly Force. With Meghan E. Rubado, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies, Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs.

April 28: Putin’s Russia. With Kelly M. McMann, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science and Director, International Studies Program.