The Future of Cash Transfers in Brazil: Empirical And Normative Dilemmas For A Postpandemic And Post-Emergency Aid Program

Abstract

In this article, we analyze the normative dilemmas that surround the future of cash transfers in Brazil, after the Covid-19 pandemic. We begin by analyzing the impacts of the pandemic on socioeconomic outcomes and the effects of emergency aid on the income distribution. We address the current discussion about the limits of Bolsa Família and how the concept of a universal basic income. We introduce three principles of justice to guide our normative analysis: egalitarianism, prioritarianism, and sufficien-tarianism. We show how these concepts allow us to ask unique questions about policy objectives and moral dilemmas implied by the policy designs and methods of implementation. We also show that the principles of justice themselves are modified when we take into account practical and non-ideal aspects of the reality on which policies are elaborated.