ABSTRACT

The administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003–10) marked a turning point in Brazilian social policy, largely maintained under President Dilma Rousseff (2011–14). After nearly two decades of being relegated to second place (if not last) in terms of government priorities, social policy took on a centrality never before seen in Brazil, albeit sharing the stage with a permanent price-stabilizing policy. This change took place as early as the first year of the Lula administration, with the launch of the Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) Program, a series of integrated initiatives from the federal government, aimed at increasing food access and reducing poverty. In 2004 the policy was joined by Bolsa Família, a minimum-income program, which became the most emblematic manifestation of social policy’s change in status in Brazil. Another landmark of the Lula and Dilma administrations has been policy devoted to a real increase in the minimum wage. 1