Book Chapter
Growth and Poverty

Brazil provides an ideal example of a country which has seen very rapid and sustained economic growth and spectacular modernization, going hand in hand with persistent poverty, malnutrition, and occasional hunger afflicting a substantial fraction of the population. This chapter examines why economic growth has failed to uplift the living standards of millions. Brazil's social profile is much lower than expected, and the growth pattern has a built-in bias towards social inequality the non-rectification of which will lead only to further polarization. However, Brazil can afford to build a welfare state by employing public support measures with comprehensive coverage which have a high manpower component and a low capital and foreign exchange component.