ABSTRACT
This chapter explores, Brazil advanced social and economic incorporation of the poor through the implementation of an innovative conditional cash transfer program, the Bolsa Familia (Family Grant).. The Bolsa has contributed to short-term poverty alleviation while advancing long-term human development goals. Since re-democratization in the late 1980s, Brazilian politicians have faced the dual challenge of political incorporation alongside social and economic incorporation. Federal social sector reforms in the early 2000s represent both policy continuity and change. The Lula administration inherited an eclectic mix of pro-poor social policies from its predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Development practitioners have long acknowledged that even well-designed policies can fail owing to political interference and low state capacity. Bolsa Familia is widely regarded as having made important contributions to reductions in poverty. Brazil made significant strides through much of the 2000s in reducing poverty rates.
