Issue and Opponent: In 2016, there had been general dissatisfaction with economic growth in Brazil under President Rousseff’s administration, which had been trying to pull the economy out of one of the country’s deepest recessions. Several grievances stem from the increase in levies and tax burdens placed on citizens throughout the last few years of Rousseff’s administration. It was increasingly the public’s widely held belief that Rousseff should resign or be impeached to turn the economy around and achieve net economic growth once again.
Dilemma Action: In Sao Paulo, a 40-foot inflatable, yellow duck was placed in the financial sector with the words “Enough of paying the Duck” across it. The duck had been utilized by business leaders to mock and shame Rousseff’s economic quackery. In Brazil, the phrase “to pay the duck” refers to unfairly paying for someone else’s mistakes, which in this case pointed toward Rousseff’s inability of pulling the economy out of the recession.
Outcomes: The goal of this action was to hold the Brazilian government accountable for an extensive recession that had not been observed before. The action placed the Brazilian government in a lose-lose scenario, as taking the duck away would have simply drawn more attention to the issue, and simply doing nothing would allow for a conversation to form and expand on said issue. Rousseff was impeached later that year in August for hiding Brazil’s deficit problem in 2014 and issues that included her in the Petrobras scandal, one of Brazil’s largest corruption schemes to be uncovered. Rousseff was not found to be directly involved in the corruption, but as a chairwoman of Petrobras’s board from 2003-2010, the event occurred under her watch bringing into question her judgment and competence.