Inequality In Brazil Research Articles

Water and socioeconomic inequalities: spatial analysis of water consumption in Brazil

ABSTRACT To achieve equitable water access, it is necessary to understand and quantify the heterogeneity of water consumption. Thus, this study assessed the spatial dependence of water consumption for Brazil and an urban center. Two spatial autocorrelation tests were applied: the Global Moran’s Index (I) and the Local Indicator of Spatial Association (LISA). It was found that, both at the national and municipal scales, water consumption is not uniformly distributed in space, indicating the formation of clusters of regions with High-High, High-Low, Low-High, and Low-Low aggregation patterns. In this way, water and socioeconomic inequalities in Brazil are highlighted, emphasizing the gap between the Center-South and the North-Northeast regions. Additionally, water and socioeconomic disparities within the city of Fortaleza are also observed, resulting from its urbanization process. Finally, the spatial autocorrelation between water consumption and per capita income is strongly evident at both the national and municipal levels.

International trade and wage inequality: Evidence from Brazil

We study the effect of the bilateral trade integration with China on wage inequality in Brazil. Previous studies have documented the contribution of trade opening to the decline in inequality since the 1990s, driven primarily by cross-firm pay differences. We find a sharper reduction in wage inequality over the 2000s, parallel to China’s accession to the WTO. Our analysis of the China shock suggests that some firms are harmed by import competition, especially those in the High-Tech Manufacturing sector, while others profit from increased exports and cheaper inputs. We rationalize these patterns by extending the theoretical framework of Helpman et al. (2017) to include sector heterogeneity in trade exposure and firm-level selection into imports. Our model indicates that the rise of China led to a reduction in cross-firm wage inequality in Brazil by about 5%.

Income Inequality and Social Mobility in Brazil

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the income inequality and social mobility in Brazil. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Income inequality in Brazil is among the highest globally, leading to significant barriers to social mobility. Limited access to education and employment opportunities exacerbates this issue. Despite government efforts, intergenerational mobility remains constrained, necessitating comprehensive reforms for economic inclusion. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Human capital theory, structural marxism & intersectionality theory may be used to anchor future studies on analyze the income inequality and social mobility in Brazil. Prioritize investment in education at all levels, with a focus on improving access to quality schooling, reducing dropout rates, and enhancing vocational training programs. Implement progressive taxation policies that redistribute wealth and reduce income inequality.

Contemporary Slavery and Inequality in Brazil Pureza’s Complaint and Struggle

This article briefly presents the feature film Pureza, which is based on a true story, to help analyse the contemporary forms of slavery in Brazil that reveal the permanent movements of capital expropriation, noticeable in the exploitation and oppression of a race-based labour force characterized by patriarchy, that migrates in order to survive. In this sense, we examine regional inequalities, social polarization and the particular aspects of the Brazilian social formation for the discussion of contemporary slavery, which is seen as the most visible expression of superexploitation, as well as the result of the reinvention of hybrid forms of exploitation of the labour force.

The energy quadrilemma challenges - Insights from the decentralized energy transition in Brazil

The energy trilemma concept provides an important framework for understanding the multidimensional nature of energy policy and planning. It captures three fundamental challenges that highlight the complex interrelationships among energy security, equity, and sustainability. However, effectively addressing these challenges requires a refined understanding of local contexts, regional differences, and governance. This study expands this framework by introducing a context dimension that includes socioeconomic, environmental, and governance factors to complement the Energy Trilemma Index, resulting in the "energy quadrilemma." This framework allows for a more comprehensive examination of regional energy transition challenges in Brazil. The results reveal significant regional disparities, highlighting energy access as a source of socio-spatial inequality in Brazil. The Northeast region excels in energy security, while the Southeast lags in electricity independence. The South, Southeast, and Midwest have outstanding energy equity and environmental sustainability scores. Context indicators exhibit low scores in all regions, particularly in the North and Northeast. In addition, areas with the highest poverty scores have also limited digital access. These findings highlight the need for effective strategies and policies to address the multifaceted challenges of the energy quadrilemma, integrating socioeconomic and governance dimensions to advance energy transitions and planning at the regional level.

Unemployment, household arrangements, and socioeconomic inequalities in Brazil

This article examines the role of households in the distribution of unemployment risks in Brazil. We analyze several indicators that summarize the entry into the labor market across different household arrangements and descriptive statistics calculated for each position within these arrangements. We then use a logistic regression model to calculate the likelihood of open or potential unemployment. For women, living with children correlates with a greater likelihood of open or potential unemployment, while the opposite is true for men due to the unequal distribution of family responsibilities. The likelihood of open or potential unemployment is higher for people living with elderly people. Finally, the level of household income has a greater effect on women than onmen, possibly due to the female transition from inactivity to employment in households with fewer resources.

Public health systems in Brazil and Portugal: challenges and opportunities in health promotion and access

The Brazilian and Portuguese healthcare systems differ in structure, financing and accessibility. They are similar in terms of decentralization of services, coexistence of public and private health providers and universality and comprehensiveness. The Unified Health System is financed by the federal, state, and municipal governments and is free for everyone. Given the territorial size and economic and social inequality in Brazil, the quality of care can vary greatly, with disparities in access to healthcare between its regions. In Portugal, the National Health Service offers universal and largely free tax-funded coverage and provides comprehensive care, but long waiting times can be a problem. Both systems face challenges such as an aging population and budget constraints. This study pointed out that in addition to appropriate financing and the reorganization of models, academic knowledge can assist in improvement actions and public policies.

Regional income inequality in Brazil: state-level Distributional National Accounts

PurposeBrazil’s regional inequality is an important topic due to the large and persistent differences in development between states and the high levels of inequality in the country. These variations in development can potentially render survey data inaccurate since the significance of capital income varies across the states. Besides, previous studies incorporating tax and national accounts data globally have mainly focused on measuring the income distribution at the country-level. This approach can limit the understanding of inequality, especially when considering large countries such as Brazil.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology used to construct these estimates follows the guidelines of the Distributional National Accounts, whose core goal is to provide income distribution measures consistent with macroeconomic aggregates and harmonized across countries and time. The procedure has three main steps: first, it corrects the survey’s underrepresentation of top incomes using tax data. Then, it accounts for national income items not included in the survey or tax data, such as imputed rents and undistributed profits. Finally, it ensures that all components match the national income.FindingsCompared to survey-based estimations, the results reveal a new angle on the state-level inequality. This study indicates that Amazonas, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have a more concentrated income distribution. The top 1\% of earners in these states receives around 28\% of total pre-tax income, while the top 10\% receive nearly 60\%. On the other end, Amapá (AP), Acre (AC), Rondônia (RO) and Santa Catarina (SC) are the states where the income distribution is less concentrated. There were no significant changes in the income distribution across the states during the period analyzed.Originality/valueThis study combines survey, tax and national accounts data to construct new estimates of Brazil’s state-level income distribution from 2006 to 2019. Previous results only considered income captured in surveys, which usually misses a significant part of capital incomes. This limitation may bias comparisons as capital income has different importance across the states. The new estimates represent the income of top groups more accurately, account for the entire national income and enable to compare regional inequality levels consistently with other countries.

Corruption and inequality in Brazil: analysis of the impact on public security, human rights and economic growth

This study addresses the multifaceted impact of corruption in Brazil, a country marked by deep social inequalities and challenges in public governance. Focusing on the intrinsic relationship between corruption, social inequality, public security, human rights, and economic growth, the research seeks to unveil how these elements interact and reinforce cycles of exclusion and injustice. The study discussed the following guiding question: How does corruption influence social inequalities, public security, and the application of human rights in Brazil? The aim of this research was to analyze in detail the nature of corruption in Brazil and its impact on various aspects of society, identifying how it disproportionately affects the most vulnerable and compromises sustainable and equitable development. The research method used was deductive, complemented by bibliographic and qualitative research techniques, allowing an in-depth analysis of existing literature, including academic studies and public policy reports. It was concluded that corruption is a complex and deep-rooted phenomenon, whose effective combat requires an integrated and holistic approach, considering its various dimensions and impacts. The need for more efficient public policies, transparency, institutional strengthening, and active citizen participation to combat corruption and promote a fairer and more equal society was emphasized.

Health Services Access Inequalities in Brazil Result in Poorer Outcomes for Stage III NSCLC—RELANCE/LACOG 0118

IntroductionStage III NSCLC is a heterogeneous disease, representing approximately one-third of newly diagnosed lung cancers. Brazil lacks detailed information regarding stage distribution, treatment patterns, survival, and prognostic variables in locally advanced NSCLC. MethodsRELANCE/LACOG 0118 is an observational, retrospective cohort study assessing sociodemographic and clinical data of patients diagnosed with having stage III NSCLC from January 2015 to June 2019, regardless of treatment received. The study was conducted across 13 cancer centers in Brazil. Disease status and survival data were collected up to June 2021. Descriptive statistics, survival analyses, and a multivariable Cox regression model were performed. p values less than 0.05 were considered significant. ResultsWe recruited 403 patients with stage III NSCLC. Most were male (64.0%), White (31.5%), and smokers or former smokers (86.1%). Most patients had public health insurance (67.5%), had stage IIIA disease (63.2%), and were treated with concurrent chemoradiation (53.1%). The median follow-up time was 33.83 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.43–37.50). Median overall survival (OS) was 27.97 months (95% CI: 21.57–31.73), and median progression-free survival was 11.23 months (95% CI: 10.70–12.77). The type of treatment was independently associated with OS and progression-free survival, whereas the types of health insurance and histology were independent predictors of OS only. ConclusionsBrazilian patients with stage III NSCLC with public health insurance are diagnosed later and have poorer OS. Nevertheless, patients with access to adequate treatment have outcomes similar to those reported in the pivotal trials. Health policy should be improved to make lung cancer diagnosis faster and guarantee prompt access to adequate treatment in Brazil.

Prevalence and Spatial Autocorrelation of Tuberculosis in Indigenous People in Brazil, 2002-2022.

Tuberculosis (TB) among indigenous populations in Brazil poses a multifaceted public health challenge influenced by geographical, social, institutional, economic, and cultural factors. This study scrutinized the prevalence and spatial distribution of TB among Brazilian indigenous communities from 2002 to 2022. Employing a cross-sectional and descriptive approach, we analyzed data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) and conducted spatial autocorrelation tests to identify clusters and outliers. The findings uncovered substantial disparities in TB prevalence between the North and Central-West regions, in contrast to the South and Southeast, mirroring social, economic, and cultural inequalities in Brazil. It is concluded that public health strategies should not only consider the epidemiological aspects of TB but also encompass social and environmental determinants, notably the impact of climate change. Holistic and context-sensitive approaches are imperative for addressing TB within indigenous communities, underscoring the need for adaptive and culturally sensitive interventions in the public health landscape.

Typhoid Fever and Non-typhoidal Salmonella Outbreaks: A Portrait of Regional Socioeconomic Inequalities in Brazil.

Typhoid fever occurs in an endemic form in Brazil and is a serious public health problem in some regions. In this scenario, further research is urgently needed to identify the associations between socioeconomic factors and typhoid fever, contributing to guiding policy decisions in the country. We aimed to investigate the influence of socioeconomic disparities on the prevalence of typhoid fever and non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) in Brazil. A search for data from 2010 to 2019 was carried out with the national health and human development agencies. As milk and derivatives are the fourth food incriminated in food outbreaks in Brazil, analyses for detecting Salmonella spp. in commercial dairy products allowed us to assess whether the outbreaks associated with these foods are due to inadequacies in sanitary control in dairy establishments or whether they are mainly home-based outbreaks. Predictive models validated by the bootstrapping method demonstrate an association of NTS prevalence reduction with improvements in the Sanitation Service Index (Rv ≥ -8 0.686; p ≤ 0.01) and Municipal Human Development Index - MHDI - (Rv = -0.789; p ≤ 0.02). In the North, typhoid fever prevalence had seasonal variability with the rainfall, while sanitation services (Rv ≥-0.684; p ≤ 0.04) and MHDI (Rv ≥-0.949; p ≤ 0.003) directly influenced Northeast and South Brazil. Thus, the unequal distribution of investments in the sanitation sector contributed to disparities in typhoid fever prevalence among Brazilian regions. The absence of Salmonella spp. in commercial samples ratified the collected data that the outbreaks of Salmonella spp. in the Brazilian population occur mainly at residences. These findings show that implementing public health education and increasing investments in sanitation in regions with poor service can control outbreaks of Salmonella spp. in Brazilian endemic areas.

Direitos Humanos, Antirracismo e Ações Afirmativas no Brasil: Algumas reflexões

Abstract This article sets out to provide an analysis of the relationship between human rights, public policies and ethnic-racial inequality in Brazil from a contemporary perspective. Public policies have emerged as an effective means of achieving human rights and citizenship for historically discriminated social groupings in a society like Brazil’s marked by enduring structural and structuring inequalities. The article specifically addresses the racial violence perpetrated against the black population in the country, who still endure the legacy of a colonial past. A central point highlighted is that the agency and interactions of the black population have had a positive impact by destabilizing social relations characterized by racism. In this sense, anti-racist actions are central factors in the promotion of Afro-reparatory policies, one of the motivating reasons for the interest in studying affirmative actions for black people.

Housing and Patrimonial (Property) Violence against Women: The Reproduction of Gender Asset Inequalities in Brazil

AbstractAccessing and retaining adequate housing can be a major challenge for low-income city residents, particularly women trying to escape domestic abuse. Focusing on housing struggles amidst urban poverty, this article explores a specific kind of gender-based violence – violation of women's property rights – recognised by Latin American legal systems as ‘patrimonial violence against women’. Drawing on qualitative research in Brazil, this article shows how women are likely to experience gendered evictions and dispossession, and why patrimonial violence against women remains largely misunderstood and underreported, despite legal progress. The discussion expands current understandings of the interplay between gender, violence (explicit or otherwise) and the reproduction of asset inequalities.

Clinical and epidemiological baseline characterization of Dementia cases in a specialized center in Recife, Brazil

AbstractBackgroundPopulation aging has been considered the main risk factor for the development of dementia globally. In low‐ and middle‐income countries such as Brazil, the projections are for expressive numbers due to poor socio‐economic conditions. However, the epidemiological profile of dementias in Brazil is still little known due to the scarcity of studies, especially in the northeast of the country, where poverty and illiteracy are severe.MethodRetrospective and descriptive study of data obtained from the comprehensive review of medical records after approval by the Ethics Committee. Records of cases treated between 2018 and 2021 were examined, cases that did not have information in the medical record were excluded from the study.Result128 medical records were analyzed, 109 of which met inclusion criteria. 57.8% of patients were male with a mean age of 65.3 years. 38.4% of the sample had less than 8 years of formal education and 15.1% were illiterate. Unskilled manual labor was the occupation type in 50% of the sample. The mean baseline Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was 16.88. Alzheimer’s disease was the most frequent diagnosis (37%) mostly in a moderate (22%) to advanced stage (20%) of dementia. 32% of all cases met criteria for mixed forms of Dementia. Frontotemporal Dementia (14%), Lewy Body’s Disease (6%) and Pure Vascular Dementia (6%) were also reported. 69.7% of our sample underwent magnetic resonance imaging and 24% also had access to molecular imaging methods.ConclusionThe low level of education possibly reflects socioeconomic inequalities in Brazil, since we had a lower level of education compared to epidemiological studies of Dementia in the south‐southeast region. The degree of dementia of the examined cases caught our attention, most of them in a moderate or advanced stage, probably related to the time patients wait for care at a specialized center. Such bias may also explain the high frequency of non‐AD pathologies in the sample, in contrast to data from the general population. With the limitation of its descriptive and retrospective design, the present study represents an important initiative in the sense of characterizing data on Dementia in northeastern Brazil.

Left behind places in Brazil: the dynamics of regional inequalities and public policies in the early 21st century

Abstract This article aims to discuss left behind places in Brazil in the early 21st century. We conceptually debate the left behind places’ approach in dialogue with other contemporary theoretical perspectives. To evaluate regional inequalities in Brazil, we used the coefficient of variation, calculated at two different scales from 2002 to 2019 for GDP per capita, also considering social indicators. The results indicated a slow decline in regional inequalities. We debate the role of recently implemented public policies in this process, as well as the potentiality of these policies to identify left behind places and deal with them.

Syphilis as a marker of ethnoracial inequalities in Brazil

Syphilis as a marker of ethnoracial inequalities in Brazil

INEQUALITY AND HEALTH DURING COVID-19 IN BRAZIL: an analysis on the use of medicines in the first two years of the pandemic

This article seeks to discuss the defense of the use of drugs against COVID-19 in Brazil by former president Jair Messias Bolsonaro. The research focuses on the first two years of the pandemic, the data collected were the official speeches of the former president on the defense of the use of medicines during the first two years of infection of the disease in Brazil, we consider the defense of the use of medications during that period by the former president as an orchestrated strategy for political gain in the eyes of the population. We use discourse analysis to understand Bolsonaro's speeches with the help of Social Studies of Science and Technology and Achille Mbembe's concept of necropolitics.

Naturalization of inequality in Brazil

The article establishes a dialogue between Carl Schmitt, Walter Benjamin and Giorgio Agamben’s theories, transposing them to the Brazilian social reality. The naturalization of inequality is a cruel mark of our society, and the philosophy of law contributes to a juridical approach that takes into account the social disparities. First, the state of exception will be analyzed in the light of Benjamin and Agamben’s works. Later, with Schmitt, the issue of exception will be analyzed together with the political decision, demonstrating the intrinsic connection between law and politics and the reflection of this in the worsening of social inequalities. It will be established the difference between the Schmitt’s concept of "Enemy" and the Agamben’s concept of homo sacer in the establishment of the state of exception and how the concept of "enemy" was distorted with the construction of Enemy Criminal Law’s Theory.

The Chronicity of Home-Making: Women Caregivers in Dis/Abling Spaces

Care for disabled family members in Brazil has historically been concentrated in the home, but the Covid-19 pandemic has intensified domestic care labor by limiting infrastructures of care. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with women caring for disabled others at different stages of life in three regions of Brazil, we advance two interconnected concepts that emerged in our interlocutors’ narratives. We contend that the Covid-19 pandemic has engendered a chronification of home-making, which intensified a long-standing pattern of unequally gendered labor in maintaining arrangements of spaces, people, and things. In the context of the progressive loss of social safety nets and deepening social inequality, this chronicified process of home-making also gives rise to dis/abling care—care that simultaneously enables others and disables caregivers. Our work demonstrates how the pandemic is re-entrenching historical inequalities in Brazil and how disability is produced in pandemic times.