Centro de Estudos da Metrópole

DESCRIPTION

An inexhaustible theme of the public agenda, the debate on inequality in Brazil is the subject of unrestrained passions. Fiery discussions, fought to the tune of the conveniences of occasion, almost always cloud comprehensive diagnoses and necessary for the understanding of this phenomenon. This work navigates in the opposite direction and seeks to move beyond the terrain of speculation. The fourteen essays presented here describe a dense and complex panorama of inequality trajectories from 1960 to 2010. In addition to the conceptual rigor and extended perspective, the authors share as a starting point the fidelity to the statistical data of the six editions of the Demographic Census produced by IBGE in the period.

SYNOPSIS

Inequalities here is a term understood in the plural. In the social world, there are multiple asymmetries: between the poor and the rich, between women and men, between categories of races, which are manifested in income, access to services, and political participation. The phenomenon of inequality is much more complex than just its monetary dimension. Understanding it requires examining its multiple dimensions. Thus, one must deal with inequality trajectories.

PRESS RELEASE

This book is a contribution to the Social Sciences on issues dealing with the connections between democracy, public policies, and inequality and features research on the trajectory of inequality in Brazil over the past 50 years.

First of all, one of its original contributions lies in being the first comprehensive study based on solid empirical research dealing with long-term changes in Brazil. The trajectory of inequality includes the “income” dimension, a classic indicator in comparative studies. That being said, the originality of this book consists in bringing together in a single volume a collection of studies on the different aspects of the social and economic structure, considered to be equally important for research on inequality, such as unequal political participation; access to education, health and public services; insertion in the labor market; race and gender issues. Also present in the book are detailed studies on the connections between inequality and the trajectory of migration and religious affiliation. In conjunction, the volume presents a detailed and comprehensive outlook – in each thematic chapter – on inequality, since different and combined dimensions of the problem are addressed.

Read all the press release here

PARTS OF THE BOOK

This work challenges the classic thesis that Brazil has experienced an "unacceptable stability" in inequality. In 14 essays, which address education and income, public policies, demography, labor market, and political participation, the book reveals that inequalities have actually been significantly reduced in recent decades, although the country remains among the most unequal in the planet. The essays also make it clear that this process has been closely associated with political decisions, from which it depends upon for its continuity.

The analyzed period is one of the most distinguished periods, economic and politically speaking, ever experienced in the country: the 50 years between 1960 and 2010. The analyses are based on data from six Demographic Census conducted by IBGE during this time interval. The articles evoke images that reflect an accelerated transition from a rural and homogeneously impoverished country, where only 20% of youth up to 15 years old concluded four years of basic education, to an urban country with almost universal access to basic education, with a significant expansion in the scope of public services, and with an increase in eleven years in the average life expectancy of its population.

However, women and people of color did not have the same success. They entered the labor market on a mass-scale, but in 2010, just as it happened with Brazilians in the second group, their wages were lower than those of white men, even when they had the same educational level. People of color have advanced even less than women have, which are distributed across all social classes. While there has been an increase in the admission of people of color in universities in recent decades, in 2010 white people were still 75% of the college population and generally enrolled in more prestigious careers. Consequently, the reduction of inequalities for people of color within the school system remained limited to the educational level where access had become universal, that is, basic education.

This contrast reinforces the editor’s conclusions: "The long-term trajectory of inequalities in Brazil reveals that there is no determinism – economic or political – in the process. Policies matter! More than that: changes in inequality patterns call for policies across long periods of time".

METHODOLOGICAL AND STATISTICAL ANNEX

Part of the book Paths of inequalities, as Brazil has changed in the last 50 years the Methodological and Statistical Annex, includes charts and figures, supporting materials, CEM Report and Syntax standardization. These Annex are available freely.

Download the files of the Methodological and Statistical Annex here.

Click here to access to CEM's Databases, including those of Census Project - 50 years of Data.

REVIEWS

OLIVEIRA, Ana Luiza Matos de. As diversas faces da Desigualdade brasileira nos últimos 50 anos. DRd – Desenvolvimento Regional em debate, v. 5, n. 2, p. 207-208, jul./dez. 2015. Review of the book: ARRETCHE, Marta (org). Trajetórias das desigualdades: como o Brasil mudou nos últimos cinquenta anos. 1ed.São Paulo: Unesp/CEM, 2015.

DANTAS, Adriana Santiago Rosa; VALENTE, Gabriela Abuhab. Review. A Educação nas Trajetórias das Desigualdades. Fundação Carlos Chagas, Cadernos de Pesquisa, v. 46, n. 162, Out-Dez/2016, p. 1272-1277.

MEDEIROS, Marcelo. Meio século de desigualdades no Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Ciências Sociais, v.31, n.90, fev/2016.  Review of the book: ARRETCHE, Marta (org). Trajetórias das desigualdades: como o Brasil mudou nos últimos cinquenta anos. 1ed.São Paulo: Unesp/CEM, 2015. DOI: http//dx.doi.org/10.17666/3190175-177/2016

ESPECIAL FEATURES

Animations explain some aspects of research on inequalities. 

CEM - Center for Metropolitan Studies and Ciência USP report on the Brazilian inequality in the last fifty years, through animations that were produced from the conclusions of researches and analyzes of the census from 1960 to 2010 that resulted in the book "Paths of Inequalities: How Brazil has changed in the last 50 years", edited by Marta Arretche. 

The videos are available on You Tube.

Special edition brochures CEM-Oxfam in Le Monde Diplomatique Brasil

Increasingly unequal? (April/2016) This booklet (now in English version), prepared by a partnership of the Center for Metropolitan Studies (CEPID-Fapesp/USP/Cebrap), Le Monde Diplomatique Brasil and Oxfam Brazil, aims to help discussions on various dimensions of inequality, such as income, education, race, gender, urbanism and public safety. We hope this material can open new arenas for dialog and strengthen civil society’s mobilization strategies. You can download the complete booklet with the set of articles in English language.

Inequality In Motion. In January, 2017, the CEM-Center for Metropolitan Studies in partnership with Oxfam Brasil and Le Monde Diplomatique Brasil, launched the special Inequality In Motion special booklet. The special edition includes articles that address the challenges that the new mayors of the Brazilian municipalities will face from this year.

NEWS

“The trajectory of inequalities in Brazil,” by Marta Arretche

Director of the Center for Metropolitan Studies and professor of political science at USP, Marta Arretche speaks to UM BRAZIL about the trajectory of Brazilian inequalities in recent decades. In the conversation with Humberto Dantas, she analyzes the extent to which public policies have reduced the concentration of income, the importance of the minimum wage in this process, the impact of public services on the household budget, and the disparity of resources between the municipalities responsible for these services.

Teaser: “Concept of inequality is broad and abstract.”

Click here to watch the interview

International seminar addressed the research presented in the book

The challenges modern Brazil faces, in particular the ongoing crisis of governance and a deep economic recession, raise important questions about the country’s capacity to preserve impressive gains it made in recent decades to reduce historically high levels of social, economic, and political inequalities. This is the context of a daylong seminar the Brazil Institute of the Wilson Center promoted in partnership with the University of São Paulo's Center for Metropolitan Studies and the São Paulo Science Foundation (FAPESP). To know more about the event, please click here.

Webcast recap click here and on Youtube: part 1, part 2, part 3 e part 4.

Inequality in Brazil is a topic of debate in the USA, 3/4/2016

Researchers from the Center for Metropolitan Studies (CEM) traveled to Washington, DC, in early 2016 to present research from the book “Paths of Inequalities: How Brazil has changed in the last fifty years” and discuss them with North American scholars. The work stands out for investigating inequality beyond the issue of income. The meeting took place at the Wilson Center in February 2016.

Click here to watch a special feature about the event (portuguese content only)

Recording by UNIVESP TV of the seminar that launched the book “Paths of Inequalities”

which took place on June 2, 2015, at FFLCH/University of São Paulo. “Encontros - Trajetórias das desigualdades” (click here to watch the seminar)

Interview with Marta Arretche on several aspects covered by the book, “Paths of Inequalities.”

Click here. (Portuguese content only)

For more news about this publication, please access the “CEM in the Media” section of this website.