Publications

Download the 80 publications produced by the Brazil Learning Initiative for a World without Poverty (WWP) between 2014-2017.

Gathering data from different sources, this infographic summarizes the functioning of the Brazilian social protection system. It’s an excellent introduction to understand the actors involved and the country’s main social programs. The material is divided into:

1) Introduction to Brazil
2) What is Social Security in Brazil
3) Interfederative pact in the management of social programs – The case of Bolsa Familia
4) Examples of Social Assistance programs

A printable version is also available.

The Activity Report brings together in a single document all the achievements of the Brazil Learning Initiative for a World without Poverty (WWP). In its almost four years of existence, the WWP has fulfilled its role to provide technical knowledge and encourage dialogue among policy makers, reaching more than 250,000 readers around the world, focusing on practical challenges. The report highlights the activities developed during this period in terms of publications, videos, webinars and events, and shows how the interinstitutional nature of the Initiative was essential to achieving these results.

Study No. 5 in the WWP Case Studies series
The latest WWP Case Study focuses on a phenomenon that has had an impact on  the entire current market microcredit in Brazil: the CrediAmigo, launched by the Banco do Nordeste (BNB) in 1997, is now one of the best consolidated  programs of its type in the whole of Latin America. The BNB experience is remarkable in that the bank has not only provided credit services to informal entrepreneurs for over 20 years, but has also succeeded in expanding its services while remaining operationally and financially sustainable. The BNB portfolio has more than two million active customers, and a low default rate among borrowers. The case study explores the continuous innovation and pace of change in business models, guidelines and regulations applicable to this type of financial service.

Article No.1 of the BFP Payment System series
The Bolsa Família Program (BFP) provides monthly cash benefits to around 13 million Brazilian families in all the country´s 5,570 municipalities. This article describes the payments flow, starting with the identification, eligibility and selection of beneficiary families through to the composition of the Bolsa Familia “payroll” and the delivery of the Social Card.

Article No. 2 of the PBF Payment System series
Managing huge and complex public policies such as the BFP calls for the use of tools to communicate with the beneficiaries. Such tools are both a necessity and a challenge. This article examines the communication channels between the government’s core agencies and the program´s beneficiaries. These channels include introductory welcome messages, instructions on how to use the Social Card, and advice or warnings contained in beneficiaries´ bank statements.

Article No.3 of the BFP Payment System series
In order to withdraw their BFP benefits, families receive a personalized magnetic card issued in the name of the individual legally responsible for the family unit. This card enables the latter to access BFP funds in the ATMs and lottery points of the Caixa Econômica Federal (Caixa). This article explains the details of the payments made by the Caixa, from the time of a family´s inclusion in the program through to suspension, cancellation or voluntary disengagement.  There were 78,027 service terminals (ATMs or over-the-counter facilities) throughout Brazil in 2013.

Article No. 4 of the BFP Payment System series
In order to pay Bolsa Familia monthly benefits to 13 million families throughout Brazil, the Ministry of Social Development (MDS) signed contracts with one of the country´s largest public banks, the Caixa Econômica Federal (Caixa) for the operation and technical management of the program. The Caixa´s payment operations contracts with the MDS are renewable every two years, and the delivery of services, goals and targets are closely and continuously monitored. This final case study in the BFP Payment System series provides details of the costs of these services to the MDS.

This WWP article outlines the results of the key assessment indicators related to the impacts of the Bolsa Familia Program in areas such as poverty, inequality, consumption, economic development, and women’s empowerment. The article contains many interesting facts and figures. It is estimated, for example, that GDP growth in Brazil has increased by R$ 1,78 for every R$1,00 paid to beneficiaries of the program. On the health front, the incidence of low birth weight is 14.5% lower among babies from BFP beneficiary families in the “extremely poor” category.

Held at the end of March in Belém, the Pan-Amazonian Seminar on Social Protection resulted in a book containing valuable reports of all the 17 lectures and panel discussions on the provision and delivery of social policies in the Amazon Region.

This summarizes the objectives, schedule and next steps of the Pan-Amazonian Seminar on Social Protection, held in March 2017 in Belém. At the conclusion of this year´s seminar, Peru´s Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS) agreed to organize the 2nd. Edition of the seminar in 2018 (date still to be defined).  It is clear that the Seminar represents a new opportunity for discussions and exchange of knowledge between the region´s countries and stakeholders on Amazon-related social protection policies.

1st article in the BFP Control and Oversight series
In a program that benefits more than 13 million families, control and oversight are important for achieving the Program’s goals, by ensuring transparent financial management, optimum use of resources, and preventing and correcting errors and misappropriation of funds. This article addresses the internal control and oversight measures taken by the Ministry of Social Development of Brazil (MDS) within the context of the Bolsa Familia Program, and the responsibilities of the federal agencies which support the Ministry in this activity.

2nd article in the BFP Control and Oversight series
This article addresses the management of BFP cadastral data, describing the procedures for scrutinizing and revising data in the Unified Registry. This is the main tool possessed by the Ministry of Social Development (MDS) for monitoring and preventing irregularities and inefficiencies in the processes involving the granting of BFP benefits.

3rd article in the BFP Control and Oversight series
This final article in the series describes the steps taken by the Brazilian government to investigate allegations of fraud that can lead to misappropriation of Bolsa Familia Program benefits (i.e. ‘benefit fraud’).  An average of 2,498 calls for enforcement actions to be initiated are received annually by the MDS through a variety of channels.

1st article in the BFP coverage, targeting and eligibility series
One of the challenges related to implementing the Bolsa Familia Program is to include all families who fit the profile of the program, and to avoid including those receiving incomes above the poverty level. The various steps needed to ensure the effective targeting of the program are described in this first article of the new series.

2nd article in the BFP coverage, targeting and eligibility series
This second article describes in detail how the amounts paid to each family are calculated (involving four different types of benefits) and lists the various adjustments made over the years linked to Brazil’s poverty and extreme poverty benchmarks.

Contains basic data describing the purpose of the Service of Protection and Integral Support to the Family (PAIF) and the functions of the practitioners involved.  Run exclusively by the Reference Center for Social Assistance (CRAS), the service caters for needy families.

Contains an objective description of the key points of the Service of Coexistence and Strengthening of Bonds (SCFV). The SCFV involves social mentors/educators working with groups of up to 30 people with the aim of strengthening family and community links and preventing social risk situations from arising.

This Fact Sheet summarizes information about the National Program for the Promotion of Access to the World of Work (Acessuas Trabalho), established in 2012, which aims to foster the productive inclusion of users of the Unified Social Assistance System who are in situations of vulnerability.

A quick overview of key information available on the Criança Feliz (Happy Child) Program which involves the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS) determining and promoting care and support for families with pregnant women and infants who are beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program and the Continuous Welfare Benefit (BPC).