Ideological polarization between federal deputies in Brazil (2005-2021)

Abstract

The article examines the ideological polarization of Brazilian federal deputies from 2005 to 2021. It relies on empirical data from surveys conducted with lawmakers during this period (Brazilian Legislative Survey [BLS] and the Latin American Elites project of the University of Salamanca [PELA-USAL]). The findings indicate that Brazilian lawmakers have become more liberal on cultural issues and hold more pro-market positions on economic issues. When analyzing positions by party and their position on the left/right spectrum, evidence showed a greater differentiation among parties as we move further away from 2005. However, this does not necessarily imply a polarized party system. A more accurate characterization might be that we are dealing with a landscape of more differentiated parties within a non-polarized system.