Income transfer programs in Brazil: the perspectives and practice of federal and state stakeholders

Abstract

Causes of poverty, hunger and malnutrition are multiple and complex. Current and past discussions promote the idea of an income able to guarantee the human right to adequate food, which is fundamental to life. Local experiences in Brazil have supported the creation of national conditional cash transfer programs. The objective of the study was to perform a qualitative analysis about the perception and practice of the stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in the programs Bolsa Escola, Bolsa Alimentação and Cartão Alimentação in the federal and state levels. Program managers and key informants were interviewed, and minutes of Social Councils meetings and speeches of congressmen were analyzed. Programs objectives indicate an apparent universality; however, their essence revealed fragmentation and selection among the already targeted beneficiaries. Considering their importance in the reduction of poverty these programs should be articulated and interdisciplinary, integrating several interventions in order to improve the quality of life of their beneficiaries. Isolated, they are not capable of finding solutions for poverty and hunger.