The COVID-19 Pandemic and its Impacts on The Brazilian Trade Market: A Multilayer Analysis

Abstract

Objective: This article presents research offering a longitudinal look at the behavior of foreign trade in Brazil and in countries with which Brazil maintains trade negotiations, in bilateral relations in both imports and exports, from 2019 to 2022. It highlights a study investigating the reaction and performance before and during the pandemic through statistical analysis.   Theoretical Framework: The theoretical study analyzes the main statistical impacts suffered by the Brazilian foreign trade sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Method: In this research, in addition to a literature review and statistical analysis, a network and figure analysis was also performed to visualize, analyze, and observe the results, culminating in a multi-layered study of possible future imports and exports for the year 2022. To this end, a parallel was drawn considering the COVID-19 mortality rates in the first year of the pandemic and the respective GDPs (gross domestic product) of each of the 20 main recipient countries of Brazilian imports and exports. Results and conclusion: The study's results are in line with the trade policies adopted by Brazil and its partners, as it is possible to perceive their influence on Brazil's trade resilience and their contribution to the trade results observed during the pandemic.   Implications of the research: Contributes to the understanding of the effects of the pandemic on Brazilian imports and exports.   Originality/value: It was found that Brazilian foreign trade can be sensitive to the severity of a global pandemic due to its significant potential as an international operator in both exports and imports, but, in a general analysis, a small reduction in the value of Brazilian exports and a very large reduction in the value of Brazilian imports were observed in the first year of the pandemic.