Posts tagged economy
Study Shows Bolsa Família Assistance Doesn’t Extinguish Ambition
May 13th
For the original article in Portuguese on Portal Geledés via Diário do Nordeste click here.
The financial assistance given to families living in extreme poverty through the program Bolsa Família (“Family Stipend”) does not deter them from searching for work, or from becoming entrepreneurs themselves. The conclusion comes from the national Research Institute for Applied Economics (Ipea), after an analysis of Brazilian micro-entrepreneurship. “The Bolsa Família does not produce an effect of laziness or apathy in its recipients. The majority of beneficiaries being entrepreneurs with formalized businesses is proof of that,” says Rafael Moreira.
Moreira is one of the researchers focusing on the individual microentrepreneur–a More >
Microfinance in Rio: A Brief Overview
Apr 11th
Since the founding of the Grameen Bank in 1976, the use of microfinance in development economics has proven a remarkably effective method of providing credit to the impoverished. Often lacking access to even basic financial services, micro-businesses can benefit from the increase in liquidity. To offer affordable products, organizations and financial institutions lend on the basis of solidarity lending, where microentrepreneurs form lending groups to borrow money. A loan is given to one member of the group, and it is the responsibility of all members to ensure its repayment. This allows lenders to not require collateral or good credit because all group More >
Creation of Shopping Malls in Favelas Divides Opinion
Apr 10th
For the original article in Portuguese by Caio Quero on BBC Brasil click here.
The creation of shopping malls in Rio’s favelas may reinforce the distance between these communities and the rest of the city, in addition to increasing the social differences among residents of these neighborhoods.
This is the opinion of Itamar Silva, director of the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analysis (IBASE) and a resident of the Santa Marta favela, located in Rio’s South Zone. According to him, relations in favelas are traditionally characterized by open circulation, thus the creation of malls in these neighborhoods may create divisions.
“I am critical of More >
United, Favelas Would form Brazil’s 5th Largest State
Feb 23rd
For original article in Portuguese in Carta Capital click here.
Brazil currently has 12 million people living in favelas. They are responsible for generating R$38.6 billion per year in commercial activity, which is equivalent, for example, to the GDP of Bolivia. If they were a state, they would form the fifth most populous Brazilian state; Rio de Janeiro’s favelas alone would comprise, together, the ninth largest city in the country.
The figures, released on Wednesday February 20th, are the result of DataFavela, a study conducted by the Data Popular institute in partnership with Celso Athayde, former head of the Central Única de Favelas More >
Bolsa Família and the Feminist Revolution in the Sertão
Jan 14th
For the original article in Marie Claire in Portuguese click here.
Over the past five years anthropologist Walquiria Domingues Leão Rêgo has witnessed a change in behavior in the poorest, and probably most sexist, areas of Brazil. The money provided by the federal income subsidy program Bolsa Família has brought the power of choice to women. They now decide everything from the grocery list to whether to file for divorce.
Money from "Bolsa-Família" brought the power of choice to the women of the Sertão, Brazil's hinterland (Photo from: Editora Globo)
A revolution is underway. Silent and slow—52 years after the creation of the More >
