Art Quote by Franklin Foer
“Brazil is strewn with ruins of projects - refineries, power plants - begun but never finished. Most of this investment never landed in places or industries that really meshed with the trajectory of the global economy. This wasn't state-of-the art industrial policy. The projects seemed curiously nostalgic.”
About This Quote
Source Article: The New York Times, “Brazil’s Broken Industrial Dream”, 2015
Brazil built many large industrial projects that were never completed, mismatching global economic trends and lacking modern policy design.
In simple terms: Unfinished factories and power plants show poor planning and outdated goals.
Key Takeaway
Avoid building massive projects without clear market fit.
Themes
economic policy
infrastructure
planning
globalization
industrial strategy
Mood
cautious
critical
reflective
Type
observational
analytical
critical
When to use this quote
- government budgeting
- private investment decisions
- regional development
- infrastructure planning
Key Concepts
misallocation
nostalgia
policy failure
Questions to Reflect On
- What market analyses could prevent such mismatches?
- How can policy balance ambition with practicality?
A Different Perspective
Large projects can become wasteful if they ignore market signals and future trends.
