Abstract (Translated):
This Discussion Paper examines Friedrich Hayek's visits to Brazil during the military dictatorship, contrasting them with his experiences in Chile and Argentina. Using primary sources, including letters and newspaper records, we reconstruct Hayek's activities in Brazil and analyze the cold reception he received from government authorities. We argue that, unlike in Chile and Argentina, where Hayek was received by high-ranking officials and his ideas were used to support economic policies, in Brazil his presence was ignored by the government. We attribute this difference to the national development strategy adopted by the Brazilian military regime, which favored strong state intervention in the economy. We conclude that the usefulness of renowned economists to authoritarian regimes depends on the compatibility of their ideas with prevailing economic policies. Economists' travels should be understood not only from the supply side, that is, their motivations to explore and influence the world, but also from the demand for their ideas by groups linked to the government.