Anti-poverty and progressive social change in Brazil: lessons for other emerging economies
| Published date | 01 December 2012 |
| Author | Moses N Kiggundu |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020852312455553 |
| Date | 01 December 2012 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
International Review of
Administrative Sciences
78(4) 733–756
!The Author(s) 2012
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DOI: 10.1177/0020852312455553
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International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
Article
Anti-poverty and progressive social
change in Brazil: lessons for other
emerging economies
Moses N Kiggundu
Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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, man-
agement 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 experi-
ence. 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 sus-
tained 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 manage-
ment, reaching out and engaging target communities, democratization, legislated and
constitutionally mandated progressive social change. This article provides practical les-
sons 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-govern-
ment and cross-sectoral coordination and private sector participation. Finally, it iden-
tifies some of the key ongoing challenges in Brazil, and suggests areas for applied
comparative research.
Corresponding author:
Moses N Kiggundu, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON
K1S 5B6, Canada
Email: moses_kiggundu@carleton.ca
Keywords
anti-poverty, Bolsa Familia, Brazil, conditional cash transfers, coordination, decentraliza-
tion, emerging economies, inequality, poverty, programme management, progressive
social change
Introduction
Addressing the United Nations International School (UNIS) on pledges to meet
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and in line with the United Nations’
‘End of Poverty Now’ campaign, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon stated
on 16 October 2009 that poverty is the biggest global challenge because ‘more than
1 billion people are still in extreme poverty and over 70 million children cannot go
to school’ (see www.endpoverty2015.org).
1
In 1970, Myrdal published The
Challenge of World Poverty: A World Anti-poverty Program in Outline and exposed
the weaknesses of the then Western countries’ trade and aid policies towards
developing countries. He observed that while aid may be strategically and contin-
gently necessary, it is not sufficient to lift millions out of poverty. Developing
countries needed to do more in terms of political, economic and social reform
and change. About the same time, Pearson and other World Bank
Commissioners published Partners in Development (1969), calling for more multi-
lateral foreign aid to developing countries. Today, almost half a century later, the
debate still rages on with no end in sight.
The world is sharply divided among those who believe in foreign aid, charity and
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the solution to global poverty (e.g.
Sachs, 2005), those who believe in the market and private enterprise (e.g. Hubbard
and Duggan, 2009; Prahalad, 2006), and those who prefer to isolate themselves
from the global economy and global society (e.g. North Korea). Although the
‘good cop–bad cop’ approach to this debate is tempting and attention grabbing,
experience, especially from the more successful countries in South-East Asia, shows
that the truth is much more nuanced (e.g. Landes, 1999; Narayan et al., 2009;
Rodrik, 2007; Smith, 2005); what works is much more contextualized, bounded
by time, geography and culture; oftentimes moderated by natural or chance events
(e.g. location, war, charisma, natural disasters, world events). Still what countries
do or do not do – governments, businesses, civil society and ordinary citizens –
together with the international community, makes a difference. It is with this back-
ground that this article looks at Brazil and its potential lessons from experience for
other countries. It is important to note, however, that this is not a comprehensive
review or evaluation of Brazil’s anti-poverty policies and programmes – several of
these already exist in the literature (e.g. Bastagli, 2008; Hall, 2006; Lindert et al.,
2007). Rather, the objective is to draw out lessons from experience,potentially
applicable to other emerging economies.
734 International Review of Administrative Sciences 78(4)
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