Pensando e implementando políticas: a contribuição de Fabio Erber no BNDES

Abstract

Fabio Erber procurava, na vida acadêmica, estruturar definições que o ajudavam a compreender a realidade e a escolher os caminhos que julgava corretos. Com ampla visão de mundo, fez, ao longo de sua vida, várias escolhas de cortes analíticos baseados em conceitos - e com eles implementou, na vida profissional e política, ações que mudaram o entendimento e o rumo da política industrial adotada pelo BNDES, com consequências para o país. Teve contribuição importante na volta da política industrial no Brasil, quando participou da elaboração da Política Industrial, Tecnológica e de Comércio Exterior (PITCE). O ambiente era hostil, mas Fabio tinha a convicção de que o rumo da política industrial precisava ser mudado drasticamente. Este artigo conta o que aconteceu no BNDES neste período da história: o início do governo Lula. Foi escrito por duas pessoas que trabalharam com Fabio depois dos anos 1990 no Banco. O resgate da história do retorno da política industrial com a PITCE contou com o depoimento dos colaboradores de Fabio Erber na formulação dessa política. Procurou-se, ainda, mostrar as discussões teóricas importantes para as escolhas realizadas.

Throughout his academic career, Fabio Erber sought to structure definitions that would help him understand reality and choose the paths he deemed correct. With an encompassing view of the world, the many varying choices he made throughout his life took on an analytical focus based on concepts. And it was through these concepts in his professional and political career that he managed to implement efforts that altered not only the understanding, but also the path of industrial policy taken by the BNDES - something which had an effect on the country. He significantly contributed to recuperating industrial policy in Brazil when he was involved in designing the Industrial, Technological and Foreign Trade Policy (PITCE). While the atmosphere was hostile, Fabio was convinced that the path for industrial policy had to be changed drastically. This paper reveals what took place at the BNDES during this moment in history: the beginning of Lula's administration. It was written by two people who worked with Fabio Erber at the BNDES after the 1990s. The history of the return to industrial policy via the PITCE is presented by means of testimonies from two of Fabio Erber's collaborators involved in designing this policy. Also, the paper aims at presenting the important theoretical discussions that led to the choices made.