Fighting Poverty in Brazil

February 14, 2007 - 5:00 pm

Bolsa Familia: The New Income Transfer Program In Brazil
Sonia Rocha, IETS and NCSR, Brazil

This seminar will focus on the design and implementation of “bolsa familia” and the new federal income-transfer programs in Brazil. Relying on the National Annual Household Sample Survey, Dr. Rocha compares official records and household information, while discussing such issues as overlapping in federal programs, the eligibility criteria of the Bolsa-Família Program, and coverage and targeting. Data from PNAD allows for estimating the impact on eligible clienteles and the impact of monetary transfer on income-based and inequality indicators. Focusing on the recent evolution of the number of beneficiary households, Dr. Rocha contributes to the assessment and significance of current social policy in Brazil.

Sonia Rocha is an economist with a M.A. from Bucknell University (1971) and a Doctor´s degree from the University of Paris I (1976). In the last fifteen years she has worked in defining parameters for poverty assessment in Brazil. She has contributed various tools to study poverty evaluation and monitoring. Her work has led to important policy recommendations. She is currently an associated researcher at the Instituto de Estudos do Trabalho e Sociedade and senior researcher with the National Council for Scientific Research.