Creating a Welfare State in an Authoritarian Regime: The Case of Brazil

Abstract

This article details the origins and evolution of the Brazilian welfare system from the time of the Estado Novo of Getúlio Vargas through the military regimes of 1964-1985. Brazil’s case is fairly unusual in that its construction of the welfare state was created by non-democratic governments. This top down approach we argue responded to government needs to provide for a modern working class for a newly industrializing nation and to control popular protest and generate support. Yet for all its authoritarian origins and structure, much of the system which was created has survived into the post-military era, with only modest change of emphasis, and is today the basis for Brazil’s social welfare state.