The state of poverty: Elite perceptions of the poor in Brazil and Uruguay

Abstract

This article approaches elites’ perceptions of poverty, inequality, and social policy in Brazil and Uruguay from democratization to the recent shift toward left-wing governments. It explores elites’ perceptions of the roles of the state, the market, and their own role in relation to poverty. The analysis relies on a series of elite surveys targeting leaders from the state and government, the corporate world, and the third sector in Brazil and Uruguay. The main argument is that poverty and inequality can be perceived by elites as a source of political and social threats, potentially motivating elites to embrace collective action and policy support. Although Brazil and Uruguay are often treated as opposite cases in Latin America, they share similarities in the way in which their national elites have dealt with poverty and inequality since democratization. From authoritarian regimes to cash transfer programs, the historical inheritance of a business-state and the threats posed by the poor pushed elites toward similar measures, although often based on different understandings of poverty and inequality.

Elite Framing of Inequality in the Press: Brazil and Uruguay Compared

“…Moreover, empirical studies confirm that Latin American elites often associate inequality with criminal violence (REIS, 2011;LÓPEZ, 2013a) as well as with political threats (LÓPEZ, 2014). Nevertheless, the present study indicates a small effect of such externalities in elite framing of poverty and inequality in the press.…”

“…In effect, previous perception research using closed questionnaires has shown high elite support for state-induced growth in both Brazil and Uruguay (see LÓPEZ, 2013a). Content analysis confirms that both Brazilian and Uruguayan elites tend to adopt state-centric frames when addressing poverty and inequality in the press.…”

“…Moreover, Brazil is characterized by extreme levels of urban violence (BRINKS, 2008;CANO and SANTOS, 2007), which elites tend to attribute to poverty and inequality (REIS, 2000b(REIS, , 2011, while Uruguay poses low levels of violence and criminality (LÓPEZ, 2013a). In that sense, Brazil and Uruguay fit the two opposing poles described by recent literature.…”

“…With that in mind, several elite studies use survey data and in-depth interviews as metrics of elite attitudes toward the poor (e.g., CLARKE and SISON, 2003;HOFFMANN-LANGE, 2010;HOSSAIN and MOORE, 2005;LÓPEZ, 2013aLÓPEZ, , 2014REIS, 2011;REIS and MOORE, 2005). This article proposes a different approach by examining insertions of elites in the editorial and op-ed pages of the press.…”

Desigualdade E Política

“…Mais do que isso, os grandes conflitos políticos e a violência que também caracterizam a região costumam ser mais atribuídos a clivagens socioeconômicas do que a choques culturais ou étnicos (López, 2013). Esse conjunto de fatores, somado à instabilidade política, fizeram com que a América Latina servisse como ilustração quase perfeita de teorias como o "argumento Lipset", que apontava para uma forte relação entre desigualdade e desenvolvimento político.…”