Inequality, Social Policy and Politics in Brazil: The Case of Bolsa Família

Year 2021, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 197 - 222, 30.12.2021

Burak Kesgin

Abstract

Bolsa Família, Brazil’s conditional cash transfer program based on public participation in basic education and health care, is an exemplary anti-poverty program that has been studied extensively in the relevant literature. Although the program did not lead to a significant change in terms of social mobility opportunities in Brazil, where deep-rooted and permanent inequalities persist, it has had a significant impact on issues such as the fight against extreme poverty and the participation of girls in education. This paper discusses Bolsa Família in the context of inequality and the politics of social policy since its inception, and intends to reveal the characteristics that make it resistant to changing political and economic conditions and the factors that may make it vulnerable. In this framework, academic and non-academic literature on the subject were reviewed. The program has remained sturdy due to its low cost, the continuous need for poverty reduction, the potential political cost if the program is abolished, and its robust design. On the other hand, negative perceptions of Brazilian society towards the poor and social assistance, and scepticism regarding the rights-based nature of the program indicate some vulnerabilities. Bolsa Família was also targeted in the anti-government protests in 2013 on the grounds of clientelism and vote-buying allegations, further illuminating its vulnerabilities. These protests reflected moral anger based on a belief that the program fosters degeneration and corruption, and this anger found response in electoral politics with the rise of right-wing populism.

Keywords

Brazil, Inequality, Right-Based Aproach to Social Policy, Protest, Poverty

Brezilya’da Eşitsizlik, Sosyal Politika ve Siyaset: Bolsa Família Örneği

Abstract

Brezilya’nın temel eğitime ve sağlık sistemine katılıma bağlı şartlı nakit transferi programı Bolsa Família ilgili alan yazında çokça çalışılmış, örnek kabul edilen bir yoksullukla mücadele programıdır. Köklü ve kalıcı eşitsizliklerin devam ettiği Brezilya’da program, sosyal hareketlilik fırsatları açısından önemli bir değişikliğe yol açmasa da aşırı yoksullukla mücadele ve kızların eğitime katılımı gibi konularda önemli bir etki yaratmıştır. Bu makale, başlangıcından bu yana Bolsa Família’yı eşitsizlik ve sosyal politika siyaseti bağlamında ele almakta ve onu değişen siyasi ve ekonomik koşullara karşı dirençli kılan özellikleri ve kırılgan hale getirebilecek faktörleri ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu çerçevede konuyla ilgili akademik ve akademik olmayan literatür taranmıştır. Program, düşük maliyeti, yoksulluğun azaltılmasına yönelik sürekli ihtiyaç, programın kaldırılması durumunda potansiyel siyasi maliyet ve güçlü tasarımı nedeniyle sağlam kalmıştır. Öte yandan, Brezilya toplumunun yoksullara ve sosyal yardıma yönelik olumsuz algıları ve programın hak temelli doğasına ilişkin şüphecilik, bazı kırılganlıklara işaret etmektedir. Bolsa Família, 2013’teki hükümet karşıtı protestolarda da kayırmacılık ve oy satın alma iddialarıyla hedef alınmış ve bu durum ilgili kırılganlıkları daha da gün yüzüne çıkarmıştır. Bu protestolar, programın yozlaşmayı ve yolsuzluğu teşvik ettiği inancına dayanan ahlaki bir öfkeyi yansıtmıştır; söz konusu öfke sağ popülizmin yükselişiyle seçimlerde de karşılık bulmuş görünmektedir.

Keywords

Brezilya, Eşitsizlik, Yoksulluk, Protesto, Hak Temelli Sosyal Politika

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