Elias Jabbour

Elias Marco Khalil Jabbour (born 1975) is a Brazilian geographer, university professor, Marxist intellectual, and writer, known for his studies on the economic development of China and for his theoretical contribution to the formulation of the concept of the New Project Economy (Nova Economia do Projetamento, in Portuguese). He serves as president of the Pereira Passos Municipal Institute of Urbanism (IPP), as a professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), and holds a PhD in Human Geography from the University of São Paulo (USP).

Education and career

Academic background Jabbour earned his undergraduate degree in Geography from USP in 1997 and later completed a master's degree (2005) and a doctorate (2010) in human geography at the same institution. His doctoral dissertation, entitled National project, development and market socialism in China's today, analyzed the relationship between national projects, development, and the socialist market model in contemporary China.

In 2014, Jabbour became an associate professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of UERJ and has since taught in the Graduate Programs in Economic Sciences (PPGCE) and International Relations (PPGRI). His research focuses on the role of the state, innovation, and long-term planning in contemporary socialist experiences, particularly the Chinese case. Acting between 2023 and 2024 as Senior Consultant to the NDB Presidency, Jabbour made analytical contributions on China's role in the development of strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence and their geopolitical implications.

Debates and interviews From 2024 onward, Jabbour began appearing regularly in debates and interviews on podcasts and YouTube channels. His participation in a widely viewed debate with Elias Jabbour and Pablo Marçal on the Inteligência Ilimitada podcast, where they discussed topics such as public security, economics, communism, democracy, religion, and science in Brazil. The debate drew online attention, with Jabbour broadly perceived as more substantiated in economic arguments, while Marçal faced criticism for relying on motivational rhetoric. Key moments included Jabbour's defense of science and public policy, his rebuttal of claims about communism and religious freedom, and his critique of Brazil's tax system and inequality. Theoretical contributions Jabbour is one of the formulators of the theory of the New Project Economy, developed in partnership with economist Alberto Gabriele. The concept describes a hybrid form of planning and market coordination characterized by technological innovation, state guidance, and coordination between public and private enterprises. The theory was detailed in the article Initial considerations on the "New Design Economy"

Recognition Jabbour has been awarded honorary citizenship by the cities of Niterói (in 2023), Belém (in 2025), and Rio de Janeiro (in 2025).

In 2022, Jabbour received the Special Book Award of China for his contribution to international understanding of the Chinese development model, particularly for the book China: o socialismo do século XXI.

Selected works