Comentários sobre o artigo A proteção social no Brasil: universalismo e focalização nos governos FHC e Lula

Abstract

This article analyzes the organization of Brazil’s social protection system after the Federal Con- stitution of 1998 (CF 1988). It also demonstrates that 1988 Federal Constitution favored the institutional- ization of universalist public policies. This institu- tionalization took place amidst conflict with the sta- bilization goals of the Real Plan. The paper argues that such an institutionalization protected public spending in the social area of the macroeconomic management’s minimalist project. It also identifies the implementation of social programs targeting the poor during the 1980’s decade. Targeting is an inno- vation directly associated with the adjustment agen- da. It reveals that under the FHC and Lula adminis- trations there was an identical adoption of targeted social programs. The targeting of social protection did not possess power of veto over the universalist proposals arising from the democratization in the 1980’s. It demonstrates that the Bolsa Família Pro- gram (Family Grant Program - PBF), the main mark of the Lula administration, is a large scale adapta- tion of the targeted programs of direct transfer of in- come in the FHC administration. The combination of universalism and targeting expanded the scope of social policy. However, the significant growth in so- cial public spending has not been producing broad social results, although the poor in Brazil have ben- efited from the PBF’s targeting.