Building Mistrust: ‘Minha Casa Minha Vida’ and its Political Effects in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Considering the recent decrease in Rio de Janeiro working-class voters' support for the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT, Workers' Party), this article investigates a largely unexplored factor behind this shift: the influence of the federal housing programme Minha Casa Minha Vida (MCMV, My House, My Life), designed by the PT. It is argued that the programme's features and its intersection with local political junctures have resulted in worsening living conditions for many residents and increasing socio-spatial segregation. Understanding policies as a domain in which people experience politics and shape political subjectivities, the article suggests that the poor implementation of the MCMV has contributed to spreading disillusionment with the PT and politicians at large among Rio de Janeiro's working classes, a shift that made Bolsonaro with his anti-establishment framing a viable option in 2018.