Anti-poverty and progressive social change in Brazil: lessons for other emerging economies

Abstract

This article examines Brazil’s experiences with anti-poverty and progressive social change, and spells out possible lessons for emerging economies with similar challenges. It draws on the Bolsa Familia conditional cash transfers (CCT) and the continuous cash benefits programmes and discusses important aspects of programme leadership, management and coordination. After a brief discussion of poverty, it presents a framework synthesizing key success factors for effective and sustaining programme implementation. Brazil does not offer a ‘blueprint’ for other countries to copy; only lessons from experience. Therefore the article concludes by discussing key ongoing challenges and suggests areas for future research, focusing on comparative studies across countries.

Points for practitioners

Progress has been made against global poverty, notably in countries experiencing sustained economic growth like Brazil. In spite of these remarkable efforts, challenges remain especially for countries which focus only on macroeconomic growth but not equity or inclusive development. Growth without equity does not eradicate poverty. Accordingly, emerging economies are being urged to pursue multipronged strategies: crafting innovative public policies, reshaping institutions for macroeconomic management, reaching out and engaging target communities, democratization, legislated and constitutionally mandated progressive social change. This article provides practical lessons from experience from Brazil, which practitioners from other emerging economies can adapt to their own circumstances for the effective and sustaining implementation of anti-poverty and progressive social change. It also provides a holistic framework for better understanding the institutional context, leadership, management, inter-government and cross-sectoral coordination and private sector participation. Finally, it identifies some of the key ongoing challenges in Brazil, and suggests areas for applied comparative research.