Filling the Gap : Infrastructure Investment in Brazil

Infrastructure bottlenecks have been identified as a key obstacle to growth affectingproductivity and market efficiency, and hindering domestic integration and export performance.This paper assesses the state of Brazil's infrastructure, in light of past investment trends andvarious quality and quantity indicators. Brazil's infrastructure stock and its quality rank low inrelation to that of comparator countries, chosen amongst main export competitors. We provideevidence that infrastructure affects domestic integration by analyzing price convergence oftradable goods across major cities. The government's concession program will narrow part ofthe infrastructure gap, however, governance reforms will be crucial to improving investmentefficiency.