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From Means‐Test Schemes to Basic Income in Brazil: Exceptionality and Paradox
Author(s) -
Lavinas Lena
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international social security review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1468-246X
pISSN - 0020-871X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-246x.2006.00249.x
Subject(s) - basic income , government (linguistics) , context (archaeology) , public economics , development economics , term (time) , test (biology) , economics , political science , economic growth , law , geography , paleontology , philosophy , linguistics , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , biology
This article reflects upon probabilities for the progressive implementation of a basic income in Brazil and presents a proposal to that end. It considers short‐ to medium‐term prospects within a context that lacks a tradition of universal policies. Although a Law approving the right to a basic income became effective in 2005, Brazilian social policies are increasingly focused on increasing the number of means‐tested income programmes while making them conditional on a proven lack of resources and targeting only the very poorest segments of society for a limited period. Such is the case with the Bolsa‐Família programme, which is at the forefront of the Brazilian government's agenda. Our proposal is to progressively move from means‐tested programmes to a basic income through the adoption of a universal child benefit scheme.