From CCT s to a social investment welfare state? Brazil's ‘new’ pro‐poor strategy

• Published in: Development policy review Vol. 35; no. 5; pp. 659 - 674
• Main Author: Fenwick, Tracy Beck
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-09-2017
• ISSN: 0950-6764; 1467-7679
• DOI: 10.1111/dpr.12247

The changes in Brazil's pro‐poor strategy from the presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to that of Dilma Roussef have received little analysis. Based on a qualitative research approach that includes media analysis, semi‐structured interviews with local level elites,
NGO
representatives and Brazilian policy experts, the central argument here is that, although it is true that this ‘new’ approach closely approximates a European‐style social investment agenda that goes beyond the policy intentions of Conditional Cash Transfers (
CCT
s), in reality it continues to prioritize ‘expanding access to complementary services’ over improving the ‘quality’ of publicly provided services. Using the example of
Brasil Carinhoso
, one of the federal government's priority programmes within the
Brasil Sem Miséria
programme designed to be complementary to
Bolsa Família
, the article outlines the initial challenges facing this emerging agenda, along with its key political constraints.