Brazil’s infrastructure is scant and shabby. The World Economic Forum ranks it 120th out of 144 countries for overall quality. Roads and airports are especially ramshackle. The rail network is barely one-eighth as big as that of the United States, a country of comparable size. With a big budget deficit and high borrowing costs, the government is in no position to boost its own investments. So Ms Rousseff has set aside her left-wing instincts to court private investment.