This paper aims to analyze brazilian public policies contribution for the development of a local Information Technology (IT) industry in the period between 1970 and 2010. It is assumed that the emergence and consolidation of high-tech activities in both central and peripheral economies are rarely stimulated only by market forces. In this context, we proposed a classification of Brazilian public policies for IT in four phases and emphasized the centrality of these to the local development of these activities. It is concluded that, from a comparative analysis of the relationship between public policies and development of IT activities in peripheral countries regarded as paradigmatic cases of success in the industry (such as India and Ireland) and Brazil, brazilian industrial policies contributed to the construction of local IT activities strictly linked to the domestic production structure and, therefore, essentially different from those observed in the countries mentioned above.3512 Arora, A., Garmbardella, A., The Globalization of The Software Industry: Perspectives and Opportunities for Developed and Developing Countries (2004) NBER Working Paper Series, , Working Paper 10538Baptista, M.A.C., (2000) Política Industrial - Uma interpretação heterodoxa, , Editora: UNICAMP-IE (Coleção Teses), CampinasGarcia, R., Roselino, J.E., Uma avaliação da Lei de Informática e de seus resultados como instrumento indutor de desenvolvimento tecnológico e industrial (2004) Gestão & Produção, 11 (2), pp. 1-20. , São CarlosMowery, D.C., The Computer Software Industry (1999) Sources of Industrial Leadership, , Mowery, D. & Nelson, R. NY: Oxford University PresLanglois, R.N., Mowery, D.C., The Federal Government Role in the Development of the American Software Industry: an assessment (1995) The International Computer Software Industry: A Comparative Study of Industrial Evolution and Structure, , Mowery, D.C.(ed.). New York:Oxford University PressRoper, S., Grimes, S., Wireless Valley Silicon Wadi and Digital Island. Helsinki, Tel Aviv and Dublin in the ICT Boom (2003) 43rd Congress of European Regional Science Association 27th to 30th August 2003 - Jyväskylä, , FinlandRoselino, J.E., (2006) A INDúSTRIA DE SOFTWARE: O 'modelo brasileiro' em perspectiva comparada. Tese de Doutoramento, , Instituto de Economia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas: CampinasTápia, J.B., (1995) A trajetória de Política de Informática Brasileira (1977-1991) - Atores, instituições e estratégias, , Editora Papirus/UNICAMP, Campinas