Moreover, better infrastructure is no panacea for Brazil. As Dani Rodrik of Harvard University points out, a country where services make up more than 70% of GDP should not count on as big a boost to growth from improved transport as more industrialised places. To increase flagging productivity and promote future growth, Brazil needs better schools, simpler taxes, and less red tape, not just more roads. Ms Rousseff has not tackled any of these. Until she does, Brazil will remain a tough sell—both at home and abroad