In recent years, Brazil has seen an increase in formal employment, the raising of the minimum wage, a recovery in the purchasing power of the average wage, a drop in open unemployment and curbs on unprotected subcontracting. Average household incomes have risen and poverty has declined. How was...

This paper investigates the following questions: what were the effects of the 1990s economic reforms on employment, wages, income inequality indicators and international competitiveness? Did economic reforms cause major or minor effects on the economy? Who were the gainers and the losers of the...