Using data from the Brazilian Census 2000 we estimate whether the distribution of the eligible population of the Continuous Cash Benefit (BPC) would change after a modification in definition of family used to calculate family per capita income. Our results show that in 2000 the majority of...

Milanovic, Lindert and Williamson (2007) introduced the concept of the inequality possibility frontier. Their starting point is that very poor societies will never display high Gini indexes of personal distribution of income because there is very little surplus to be appropriated by the upper...

This text argues that the criteria used to define Bolsa Família benefits and the criteria used to establish coverage targets are inconsistent. While individual concession criteria are that beneficiaries should be paid for two years if they do not suffer large upward income mobility, the...

The last 20 years have been marked by reforms in social protection systems in a wide range of countries. In general, one has observed the growth of non-contributory income security programs and their association to labor market inclusion programs. This course is also seen in Canada, whose...

Herein, the influence of institutions and of social and political preferences upon the design and the implementation of the Brazilian non contributive income cash transfer to the elderly and disabled poor - Benefício de Prestação Continuada (BPC) - is analyzed. The main argument is that...

Improvement in life expectancy and population ageing are worldwide phenomena that distinguish the demographic dynamics of nowadays societies. Therefore functional dependency and the quality of life of the frail elderly have grown into major issues in public agenda. This text aims to present and...

In a slow process marked by authoritarian moments, regressive effects, bureaucratic insulation, centralized arrangements and cronyism, since the 1930s Brazil has been building its Welfare State. In the wake of struggles and political clashes for ensuring rights and reviving democracy, the...

The study examines a particular set of institutional determinants of inequality, the public pensions. It tests the hypothesis that different rules regarding a maximum limit for the value of benefits in the pension subsystem of public and private sector workers makes the system as a whole...

The progress occurred over the last decade is undeniable, combining less poverty, with more choice and access to better services, as well as better use of these services by families with children. However, more important than the speed of progress may be the fact that it was clearly equalizing....