DOCSLIB.ORG

From Fome Zero to Bolsa Família: Social Policies and Poverty Alleviation Under Lula

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
From Fome Zero to Bolsa Família: Social Policies and Poverty Alleviation Under Lula Anthony Hall From Fome Zero to Bolsa Família: social policies and poverty alleviation under Lula Article (Published version) (Refereed) Original citation: Hall, Anthony (2006) From Fome Zero to Bolsa Família: social policies and poverty alleviation under Lula. Journal of Latin American studies, 38 (4). pp. 689-709. DOI: 10.1017/S0022216X0600157X © 2006 Cambridge University Press This version available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/21244/ Available in LSE Research Online: September 2012 LSE has developed LSE Research Online so that users may access research output of the School. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LSE Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute the URL (http://eprints.lse.ac.uk) of the LSE Research Online website. j Lat. Amer.Stud 38, 689-709 ? zoo6 Cambridge UniversityPress 689 doi:Io.IoI7/SoozzzI6Xo6oox 57X Printedin the United Kingdom FromFome Zero to BolsaFamilia: Social Policiesand PovertyAlleviation underLula* ANTHONY HALL Abstract.Under the administrationsof Fernando Henrique Cardoso (I995-2002) andespecially President Lula (2003-),conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes havebecome adopted as mainstreamsocial policy in Brazil.This followsa marked trendsince the 1990sin LatinAmerica towards the settingup of targetedsafety nets to alleviatepoverty. Lula consolidatedand expandedCCTs, firstlyunder FomeZero and later Bolsa Familia, now the largest such scheme in theworld. Its four sub-programmes(educational stipends to boost school attendance,maternal nutrition,food supplements and a domesticgas subsidy)benefit some 30 millionof Brazil'spoorest people, with a targetof 44 millionby 2006. Since 2003, spending on BolsaFamilia has risensignificantly to consume over one-third of thesocial assist- ancebudget for the poorest sectors and it remaineda flagshippolicy in therun-up to thepresidential elections of October2006. Although coverage of BolsaFamilia is impressive,however, systematic evaluation of its social and economicimpacts is stilllacking. Evidence from other CCT programmesin LatinAmerica suggests thatpositive results may be achievedin termsof meetingsome immediate needs of thepoor. However, there have been many implementation problems. These include poor beneficiarytargeting, lack of inter-ministerialcoordination, inadequate monitoring,clientelism, weak accountabilityand allegedpolitical bias. Given the heightenedprofile of cash transfersin Brazil'ssocial policy agenda, key questions need to be asked.These concern,firstly, the extentto whichBolsa Familia does indeedcontribute to povertyalleviation; and secondly,whether it createsgreater dependenceof thepoor on governmenthand-outs and politicalpatronage at the expenseof long-termsocial investment for development. Introduction When PresidentLuis Inicio Lula da Silva took officein January2003, Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) soon became the defining flagshippolicy of his government.Inspired by the MillenniumDevelopment Goals, which call AnthonyHall is Reader in Social Planning, Department ofSocial Policy, London School of Economicsand Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK. a.l.hall@ lse.ac.uk * Thisarticle is basedon a paperpresented at theLASA 2004 conference,Las Vegas,NV. The authoris indebtedto severalanonymous JLAS reviewerswho providedvaluable commentson a firstdraft. 690 AnthonyHall forhalving hunger and extremepoverty by zoI 5,the ambitious programme was intendedto bringregular supplies of food and cash aid to Brazil's estimated44 millionliving below the officialpoverty line. Building upon policiesalready established under the administrationof President FernandoHenrique Cardoso, Fome Zero sought to expandand consolidate the social safetynet programme.'It also representeda heartfeltpersonal commitmentby Brazil's first working class president to addressthe country's seeminglyintractable problems of povertyand severeinequality. At his inauguration,Lula famouslypledged: 'If, by theend of myterm of office, everyBrazilian has foodto eat threetimes a day,I shallhave fulfilledmy missionin life.' Brazil's enthusiasmfor constructingsocial safetynets has followed a markedinternational trend in policy-makingsince the late I98os.2The freemarket ideology developed under the Reaganand Thatcheradminis- trations,amongst others, was transferredto the developingcountries throughprogrammes of economicstabilisation and structuraladjustment via theIMF andWorld Bank. Under a varyingpackage of measuressome- timesloosely referred to as the 'WashingtonConsensus',3 moves towards marketderegulation and increasedcompetition would lead to the dis- mantlingof statemachinery, growing privatisation of serviceprovision and cutbacksin publicspending, especially in the social sectors.This process helpedto destroymuch of the socialprotection infrastructure in a region whereeffective and universalwelfare systems had been developedin onlyfive countries (Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica,Cuba and Uruguay),and wherethe impactsof social policieshave generallybeen regressivewith negativedistributional consequences. Higher income groups have secured thelion's share of benefitsand subsidiesin keysectors such as education, healthand pensionsprovision. On cost grounds,universalisation has beendismissed as too expensivein thecontext of developingcountries. In particular,it was arguedthat such generousanti-poverty solutions were not affordableunder conditions of economicausterity. However, even more critically,the notionof universalcitizenship rights has (exceptin the case of Cuba) generallybeen eschewedin favourof selectivesocial 1 'Safetynets' is a broadlabel to describeshort-term, targeted interventions for vulnerable householdsdesigned to mitigate the immediate effects of poverty and other risks, providing assistancein the formof cash,food, housing, subsidies, fee waivers,scholarships and publicworks programmes. 2 A. Hall andJ. Midgley, Social Poliy for Development, Sage (London,2004). 3 J. Williamson,'What Washington means by policyreform', in J. Williamson(ed.), Latin AmericanAdjustment: How MuchHas Happened?Institute for InternationalEconomics (WashingtonDC, 1990). SocialPolicies and Poverty Alleviation under Lula 691 rightslinked to the politicallydetermined distribution of benefitsby the State.4 The solutionfor maximising both economicand politicalreturns from thedistribution of scarcesocial funding has been to targetthe poorest and mostvulnerable groups through the use of specificinstruments such as socialfunds implemented by a rangeof institutionsincluding government, civilsociety, international donors and, indeed, poor communities themselves. This reactionwas in parta pragmaticand understandableresponse for rapidlydealing with the increased suffering of some sectorsbrought about by the adversesocial and economicimpacts of structuraladjustment.5 However,it also representeda major ideological shift in thinkingtowards a moreselective and means-testedapproach for addressing mass poverty. This approachwas formalisedand endorsedat the highestinternational levelsthrough the conceptualisation of social safety nets. These nets would notonly 'catch' thepoor and 'protect'them from economic shocks in the shortterm; they would also providea 'springboard'for development, creatingemployment and income-earning opportunities through strategies of 'social riskmanagement'.6 In LatinAmerica, social safety nets have been enthusiasticallyembraced by manygovernments. In particular,conditional cashtransfer (CCT) programmesare increasingly regarded as a majorsocial policyinstrument in a numberof countries.Since the late 1990s, apartfrom Brazil,major CCT programmeshave been introducedin Mexico(Progresa, now knownas Oportunidades),Colombia (Familias en Accidn), Chile (Subsidio UnitarioFamiliar), Nicaragua (Red de Proteccio'n Social), Argentina (Jefes de Hogar) and Ecuador(Bono de Desarrollo Humano).7 Their underlyingprinciple is thathuman capital can be enhancedas a developmentvehicle by providing money to familiesto persuadethem to investin themselvesthrough greater participation in educationand health services.The technicalrationale is that,by focusingon children,long-term humancapital accumulation can help breakthe inter-generationaltrans- missionof poverty. Through stimulating effective demand for social services, it is also designedto counterthe shortcomings of supply-sideinterventions such as schoolsand clinicsthat often do not reachthe poor. This CCT approach,in theoryat least,contrasts with traditionalsocial assistance 4 C. Abeland C. Lewis,'A Diagnosisof SocialPolicy in LatinAmerica in theLong Run', in C. Abeland C. Lewis(eds), Exclusion and Engagement: Social Policy in Latin America (London, 2002), pp. 3-71. 5 See G. Cornia,et al.,Adjustment with a HumanFace (Oxford, 1987), and T. Conway,Social Protection:New Directions forDonor Agencies, DFID (London,2000). 6 WorldBank, Social Protection Strategy Paper: from Safety Net to Springboard (Washington DC, 2000). 7 L. Rawlings,A NewApproach to Social Assistance: Latin America's Experience with Conditional Cash TransferPrograms, World Bank (WashingtonDC, 2oo4). 692 AnthonyHall strategiesthat use short-termredistributive mechanisms to tacklepoverty duringtimes of crisis.It aimsto fosterjoint responsibility between
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Do Fome Zero Ao Bolsa Família: Processo Decisório, Dilemas E Desafios De Uma Política Pública De Segurança Alimentar E Nutricional No Brasil
    UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL FLUMINENSE INSTITUTO DE CIÊNCIAS HUMANAS E FILOSOFIA PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM CIÊNCIA POLÍTICA LEONARDO DA SILVA PETRONILHA AZEVEDO Do Fome Zero ao Bolsa Família: processo decisório, dilemas e desafios de uma política pública de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional no Brasil Niterói 2013 LEONARDO DA SILVA PETRONILHA AZEVEDO Do Fome Zero ao Bolsa Família: processo decisório, dilemas e desafios de uma política pública de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional no Brasil Tese apresentada à banca do Curso de Doutorado em Ciência Política, do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Política da Universidade Federal Fluminense, no âmbito da área de concentração: Estado e Sociedade; linha de pesquisa: Políticas Públicas, Desenvolvimento e Sustentabilidade, sob orientação do Prof. Dr. Ari de Abreu Silva. Orientador: Prof. Dr. ARI DE ABREU SILVA Niterói 2013 2 FICHA CATALOGRÁFICA PETRONILHA, Leonardo. Do Fome Zero ao Bolsa Família: processo decisório, dilemas e desafios de uma política pública de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional no Brasil / Leonardo Petronilha. Niterói, RJ: 2013. Orientador: Ari de Abreu Silva Tese de Doutorado – Universidade Federal Fluminense – Instituto de Ciências Humanas e Filosofia – Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Política 1- Política Pública; 2- Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional; 3- Fome Zero; 4- Bolsa Família; 5- Cidadania; 6- Processo Decisório. 3 LEONARDO DA SILVA PETRONILHA AZEVEDO DO FOME ZERO AO BOLSA FAMÍLIA: PROCESSO DECISÓRIO, DILEMAS E DESAFIOS DE UMA POLÍTICA PÚBLICA DE SEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR E NUTRICIONAL NO BRASIL BANCA EXAMINADORA Prof. Dr. Ari de Abreu Silva – Orientador Universidade Federal Fluminense Prof. Dr. Carlos Henrique Aguiar Serra – Membro Titular Interno Universidade Federal Fluminense Prof. Dr. Cláudio de Farias Augusto – Membro Titular Interno Universidade Federal Fluminense Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • Brazilian Response to International Financial Crisis, the Pre-SALT Discoveries by Petrobras and the New Free Trade Areas in the Cities of Brazil
    Law and Business Review of the Americas Volume 15 Number 3 Article 9 2009 Brazilian Response to International Financial Crisis, the Pre-SALT Discoveries by Petrobras and the New Free Trade Areas in the Cities of Brazil Marcos Valadao Nara Galeb Porto Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/lbra Recommended Citation Marcos Valadao & Nara Galeb Porto, Brazilian Response to International Financial Crisis, the Pre-SALT Discoveries by Petrobras and the New Free Trade Areas in the Cities of Brazil, 15 LAW & BUS. REV. AM. 673 (2009) https://scholar.smu.edu/lbra/vol15/iss3/9 This Update is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Law and Business Review of the Americas by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. BRAZILIAN RESPONSE TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, THE PRE-SALT DISCOVERIES BY PETROBRAS AND THE NEW FREE TRADE AREAS IN THE CITIES OF BRAZIL Marcos Valaddo* and Nara Galeb Porto** TABLE OF CONTENTS I. RESPONSE TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL C R ISIS ................................................... 673 A. ECONOMIES AND ECONOMIC CRISIS ..................... 673 B. SOLUTIONS TO FACE THE CRISIS ....................... 675 II. OTH ER ISSU ES ......................................... 679 A. THE PRE-SALT DISCOVERIES BY PETROBRAS .......... 679 B. NEW FREE TRADE AREAS IN THE CITIES OF BRAZIL.. 680 I. RESPONSE TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CRISIS A. ECONOMIES AND ECONOMIC CRISIS BY July 2008 an unbelievable financial crisis started to provoke a debacle in the US economy. The crisis that initiated in the mort- gage and housing loans sector, and would subsequently damage almost all sectors of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Energy Safety Nets Brazil Case Study Acknowledgements
    ENERGY SAFETY NETS BRAZIL CASE STUDY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Energy Safety Nets: Brazil Case Study was The research team acknowledges the contri- researched and written by partners at the Cen- butions to this work of the following workshop tre for Energy and Environmental Economics attendees and key interviewees: COPPE/UFRJ (Cenergia Lab), COPPE, Universidade Federal (Carlos Henrique Duarte), Cenergia/UFRJ (Talita do Rio de Janeiro (www.ppe.ufrj.br), with the Borges Cruz, Paula Borges, Mariane Zotin, Gerd help of Antonella Mazzone, from the Oxford Abrantes Angelkorte, Leticia Magalar de Souza University Centre for the Environment, Univer- and Rafael Garaffa), Institute of Applied Eco- sity of Oxford. The lead researcher from COPPE nomic Research – IPEA (Elaine Christina Licio), was Roberto Schaeffer ([email protected]), Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency – ANEEL supported by a team that included Alexandre (Mauricio Lopes Tavares), Electric Energy Re- Salem Szklo, André Frossard Pereira de Lucena search Center – CEPEL (Márcio Gianini), Energy and Régis Rathmann. Research Company – EPE (Thiago Pastorelli Rod- rigues), Ministry of Social Development – MDS We acknowledge with gratitude the financial (Denise Direito), Frente por uma Nova Política support provided by the Wallace Global Fund. Energética (Joilson Costa). This report is based on research jointly implemented by partners at the Cenergia Lab, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CA- FOD). The research in Brazil is part of a broader program of energy safety nets research also carried out in Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya and Mexico funded by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) as part of its People-Centered Accelerator work program.
    [Show full text]
  • Brazil's Experience of Building a Food and Nutrition
    Effective public policies and active citizenship Brazil´s experience of building a Food and Nutrition Security System Effective Public Policies and Active Citizenship: Brazil´s experience of building a Food and Nutrition Security System Abrandh and Oxfam, 2012. Authors Marília Mendonça Leão Renato S. Maluf Review and contributions from Oxfam Simon Ticehurst Muriel Saragoussi Juana Lucini Carlos Aguilar Graphic design Marilda Donatelli Cover photo Effective public policies and active citizenship Gilvan Barreto/Oxfam Editors Brazilian Action for Nutrition and Human Rigths (ABRANDH) Oxfam Brazil’s experience of building a Food and Nutrition Security System L437c Leão, Marília. Effective Public Policies and Active Citizenship: Brazil´s experience of building a Food and Nutrition Security System / Marília Leão; Renato S. Maluf – Brasília: ABRANDH, 2012. 73 p. : il. ISBN 978-1-78077-557-9 1. Segurança alimentar - Brasil. 2. Nutrição - Brasil. I. Maluf, Renato S. II Título. CDD 363.8 1st Edition Brasília, 2012 This publication is licensed under a license Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/. Marília Leão and Renato S. Maluf Effective public policies and active citizenship Brazil’s experience of building a Food and Nutrition Security System English translation 2013 This paper describes the path toward building a new governance framework for the provision of public policies that were able to initiate a virtuous cycle for the progressive elimination of hunger and poverty in Brazil. Contents Executive Summary 6 Introduction 9 Objectives and scope of the document 11 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A Organização Das Políticas Públicas Integradas Para a Agricultura
    An in-depth review of the evolution of integrated public policies to strengthen family farms in Brazil Mauro Eduardo Del Grossi and Vicente P.M. de Azevedo Marques ESA Working Paper No. 15-01 July 2015 Agricultural Development Economics Division Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations www.fao.org/economic/esa An in-depth review of the evolution of integrated public policies to strengthen family farms in Brazil Mauro Eduardo Del Grossi and Vicente P.M. de Azevedo Marques Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2015 Recommended citation FAO. 2015. An in-depth review of the evolution of integrated public policies to strengthen family farms in Brazil, by Mauro Eduardo Del Grossi and Vicente P.M. de Azevedo Marques. ESA Working Paper No. 15-01. Rome, FAO. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. © FAO, 2015 FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product.
    [Show full text]
  • Brazil's Success in Reducing Deforestation
    Mongabay.com Open Access Journal - Tropical Conservation Science – Special Issue Vol.6 (3):426-445, 2013 Research Article Brazil’s Success in Reducing Deforestation Doug Boucher1, Sarah Roquemore1 and Estrellita Fitzhugh1 1Tropical Forests and Climate Initiative, Union of Concerned Scientists, 1825 K Street, NW Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006-1232, USA. Email: [email protected] Abstract Over the past several years, the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has dropped by more than two-thirds. This reduction has been achieved despite high beef and soy prices, which in previous years had pushed deforestation upward, and during the same time that Brazil made important social progress in reducing poverty, hunger and inequality. The reduction in global warming pollution that this represents is the largest contribution so far by any country, rich or poor. Several factors are responsible for this accomplishment. They include: government policies and enforcement actions by prosecutors, on both the federal and state levels; the incentive created by Norway’s pledge of up to $1 billion in results-based compensation through the Amazon Fund; the strong and concerted pressure exerted by Brazilian civil society on the government and the soy and beef industries; and the positive response by those industries, resulting in the 2006 soy and 2009 beef moratoria. Political leaders, such as President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva and especially Minister of the Environment/2010 Green Party presidential candidate Marina Silva, can also claim an important share of the credit. While success is by no means assured, what has been achieved so far is already quite impressive, and makes it possible to envision the reduction of Amazon deforestation and forest degradation to zero within the next decade.
    [Show full text]
  • ZERO HUNGER: the POLITICS of ANTI-HUNGER POLICY in BRAZIL RUSSELL BITHER-TERRY a Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty at the Un
    ZERO HUNGER: THE POLITICS OF ANTI-HUNGER POLICY IN BRAZIL RUSSELL BITHER-TERRY A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences. Chapel Hill 2013 Approved by: Evelyne Huber Lars Schoultz John D. Stephens John C. Chasteen Terrie R. Groth © 2013 Russell Bither-Terry ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Russell Bither-Terry: Zero Hunger: The Politics of anti-Hunger Policy in Brazil (Under the direction of Evelyne Huber) In 2003 Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) announced a nationwide Zero Hunger Program (Programa Fome Zero) and created the Special Ministry for Food Security (MESA), headed by José Graziano, to integrate a wide range initiatives to eliminate the “vicious cycle” of hunger. Within a year President Lula had merged MESA’s Food Card program with three other cash transfers to form a conditional cash transfer (CCT) called Bolsa Família (Family Allowance). He also merged MESA into the new Ministry of Social Development headed by Patrus Ananias. This dissertation asks (1) why anti-hunger policies ultimately took the form they did and (2) how well they have worked to reduce poverty and hunger. Regarding the first question, it argues that program implementation initially failed in 2003 because the design was too complex and did not engage constructively with policy legacies from the Fernando Henrique Cardoso government. In contrast to the Food Card, Bolsa Família represented a simpler program that built on those legacies.
    [Show full text]
  • Brazil's Lessons in Rural Development
    Brazil’s Lessons in Rural Development Family Agriculture, Access to Water, and Civic Engagement By Joseph Bateman and Viviane Brochardt, with contributions from Silvio Porto WOLA WASHINGTON OFFICE ON LATIN AMERICA February 2013 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Food Acquisition Program 5 Historical context of rural development and family agriculture in Brazil 5 Greater focus on rural development and food insecurity in Brazilian public policy 6 The Food Acquisition Program 6 Impact of the Program and processes of evaluation and adjustment 9 PAA implementation at the local level 11 Some lessons from the PAA 12 Increasing Water Access through Brazil’s Rainwater Captation Programs 14 Introduction 14 Analyzing policies to address the Brazilian Semiarid 15 Living with the Semiarid 17 Final Conclusions and Recommendations 20 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Joseph Bateman is WOLA’s Program Officer for Brazil and Citizen Security. Viviane Brochardt is a journalist and graduate student in Politics of Communication and Culture at the University of Brasilia. She is also an adviser for Communications and Resource Mobilization for the Brazilian Semiarid Association (ASA). Silvio Porto is the Director of Agricultural Policy and Information at the National Food Supply Company (Conab). The introduction, conclusion, and recommendations were written by Joseph Bateman and reflect the views of WOLA. The Food Acquisition Program section was written by Joseph Bateman based on information provided by Silvio Porto. The Cistern Program section was written by Viviane Brochardt.
    [Show full text]
  • Zero Hunger: the Politics of Anti-Hunger Policy in Brazil
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Carolina Digital Repository ZERO HUNGER: THE POLITICS OF ANTI-HUNGER POLICY IN BRAZIL RUSSELL BITHER-TERRY A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences. Chapel Hill 2013 Approved by: Evelyne Huber Lars Schoultz John D. Stephens John C. Chasteen Terrie R. Groth © 2013 Russell Bither-Terry ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Russell Bither-Terry: Zero Hunger: The Politics of anti-Hunger Policy in Brazil (Under the direction of Evelyne Huber) In 2003 Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) announced a nationwide Zero Hunger Program (Programa Fome Zero) and created the Special Ministry for Food Security (MESA), headed by José Graziano, to integrate a wide range initiatives to eliminate the “vicious cycle” of hunger. Within a year President Lula had merged MESA’s Food Card program with three other cash transfers to form a conditional cash transfer (CCT) called Bolsa Família (Family Allowance). He also merged MESA into the new Ministry of Social Development headed by Patrus Ananias. This dissertation asks (1) why anti-hunger policies ultimately took the form they did and (2) how well they have worked to reduce poverty and hunger. Regarding the first question, it argues that program implementation initially failed in 2003 because the design was too complex and did not engage constructively with policy legacies from the Fernando Henrique Cardoso government.
    [Show full text]
  • Doing Business in Brazil Requires Knowledge of Both Explicit and Implicit Costs
    Saulo Gouveia Assistant Professor of Portuguese Michigan State University Department of Romance and Classical Studies BRAZIL THROUGH THE LENS OF ITS CULTURE, HISTORY, AND ECONOMY BRAZIL: BASIC FACTS Population: 192 million Language: Portuguese Size: slightly smaller than continental USA. Location: South America (borders with every other nation in the continent except Chile and Ecuador). GDP: $2,492 trillion GDP per capita: $ 12,916 Currency: Real MAP OF BRAZIL BY REGION DILMA ROUSSEFF BASIC FACTS The U.S. is Brazil’s main trading partner. In 2011 the USA/Brazil trading activities reached $74 billion with $42.9 billion of U.S. exports, and $31.3 billion of U.S. imports from Brazil. Politically stable, democratic government, direct elections since the mid 1980s. BRAZILIAN CULTURE AND BUSINESS Personal relations are important and may determine the success or failure of business relations. Informality (lack of discipline). Long-distance relations may be complicated. Preference for direct personal contact over (phone, letters, or email) MARKET ENTRY Business culture based on personal relationships. Companies need a strong presence in Brazil. Must invest time in developing relationships. Should visit Brazil to meet one-on-one with potential partners. Work through a qualified agent or distributor. Some firms establish an office or joint venture in Brazil. It is difficult for U. S companies to get involved in the public sector without a Brazilian partner. THE “BRAZIL COST” Doing business in Brazil requires knowledge of both
    [Show full text]
  • Northeastern Brazil Groundwater Project PROASNE (2000 – 2004)
    Northeastern Brazil Groundwater Project PROASNE (2000 – 2004) (CIDA Project A-019777-006) Closing Report Submitted to the Brazil and Southern Cone Division Americas Branch Canadian International Development Agency Gatineau, Canada by Geological Survey of Canada Earth Sciences Sector Natural Resources Canada Ottawa, Canada and Serviço Geológico do Brasil (CPRM) Ministério de Minas e Energia Rio de Janeiro, Brazil November 2005 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Northeastern Brazil Groundwater Project (CIDA Project A-019777-006) also known by the acronym PROASNE from its title in Portuguese, ended on December 31st 2004 after nearly five prolific years of operation. This closing report is being submitted about one year after the end of the project. The relatively long time span between the termination date and the submission of this report permitted a better evaluation of the results and to assess whether the outcomes are showing signs of longer-term sustainability. On this last point, it is gratifying to observe that our Brazilian partners have already implemented some of the technologies and models introduced during the project. In other cases, however, further evaluation and testing will be required before the technologies are fully adopted. PROASNE was a multi-partner project led by two prestigious national organizations: Serviço Geológico do Brasil (CPRM) of the Ministério de Minas e Energia, and the Geological Survey of Canada of Natural Resources Canada. The project operated in four pilot areas in three states of northeastern Brazil: Ceará, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte. One of its greatest achievements was to have succeeded in implementing a highly technical agenda in conjunction with a community-oriented social and gender program in such a way that there was full collaboration between the two entities.
    [Show full text]
  • First Meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group
    SUMMIT IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW GROUP (SIRG) OEA/Ser.E GRIC/INNA‐1/10 24 May 2010 Original: Portuguese REPORT OF THE FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MANDATES ARISING FROM THE FIFTH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS (Brazil 2010) REPORT OF THE FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MANDATES ARISING FROM THE FIFTH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS (Brazil 2010) CONTENTS I ‐ INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................1 Fighting Hunger and Poverty:..............................................................................................2 The Global Financial Crisis:..................................................................................................3 Social Protection:................................................................................................................3 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): ............................................................................4 Employment and Income: ...................................................................................................4 Protection of Children:........................................................................................................5 Health: ...............................................................................................................................5 International Humanitarian Assistance:...............................................................................6 Regional Humanitarian Assistance
    [Show full text]