Road transport sector and the effects of the minimum freight policy on the Brazilian economy.
Computable general equilibrium model; CGE model; econômico impact evaluation; transportation; freight; cargo; Brazil; minimum freight policy.
This dissertation analyses the context and impacts of the National Minimum Price for Road Transportation Policy in Brazil. The policy was established as a bargain to end the national truckers strike of 2018 and has been active since then. The dissertation presents a review of the transport sector in Brazil, the economic and political context from before and during the Policy and its consequences over the decisions of economic and political agents in Brazil. The dissertation also provides a complete history of the Policy, with detailed accounts of all the minimum price tables that have been published, all the methodological changes it has suffered and the influence of lobbying groups over the Policy. To analyze the economic impact of the policy, a static national ORANI-G computable general equilibrium model was calibrated for Brazil, with specific data for road transportation and diesel as products. The thesis shows that, between 2018 and 2019, the Policy has resulted in road transportation prices above the ones that would have been stablished by market forces, which results in a decrease in GDP, employment, families’ consumption and exports.