Brazilian Social Problems/Policy Reflection

  Please write about poverty/racism and everything else necessary for the assignment to be completed. Thanks!! The samples contain info from the videos that I could not download. (cited as Crumpton, 2017a) Brazilian Social Problems and Policy Reflection Assignment Spring 2018 10 points or 10% of the semester grade Session 13 is dedicated to a brief comparison of social problems and social policy in Brazil and the United States. To support this comparison, a set of video presentations from Brazil and readings concerning Brazilian social problems and social policy will be posted on the course Blackboard site. Students are required to read at least one of the posted readings, visit the New York Times article link provided on the Blackboard site to read at least two recent articles concerning Brazil, and view the posted videos. The videos were recorded during 2016. To demonstrate that they have read the Brazilian social problem/policy readings and the New York Times articles, and viewed the videos from Brazil, students are required to prepare a short reflection report regarding what they have learned from this material. They should also reflect on similarities and differences between the situation in Brazil and that in the United States. This reflection should be supported by the student’s understanding of the material presented during the previous 12 sessions concerning American social problems and social policy. The reflection will be valued at 10 points or 10% of the total semester grade. The reflection shall be prepared according to the following terms: 1. The reflection shall be no less than 6 substantial paragraphs in length. It should be no more than three pages in length, with 1.5 spacing between lines. 2. The reflection will be considered to be an academic work. As a result, it MUST be carefully composed and include citations and a reference list according to APA standards. Narrative construction, including accurate citations and inclusion of a reference list, will be considered in the grade for each report. Example I: The U.S. and Brazil are two large and powerful countries representing important global economies with similar historical backgrounds. Both countries have strong colonial roots: the U.S. was colonized by England, France, and Spain; and Brazil was colonized predominantly by Portugal (Crumpton, 2017a). Brazil represents a strong agricultural industry, initially producing cash crops, such as sugarcane and rice, and presently serving as a major coffee exporter (Crumpton, 2017a). To sustain its agricultural industry, Portugal introduced slavery, which resulted in Brazil becoming highly dependent on slave labor for approximately 300 years, similar to how the U.S. adopted slavery to support the cultivation of tobacco and cotton (Crumpton, 2017a). Brazil’s adoption of slavery played a significant role in catalyzing racial discrimination and social inequality, which is reflected in modern racism, sexism, and economic disparities (Crumpton, 2017a). To quote Dr. Ferreira, “[Brazil] continues [to have] problems relat[ed] to our past…poverty and rac[ism]…income differences between rich and poor…sexism” (Crumpton, 2017a). Thus, for both Brazil and the U.S., a history of slavery, spurred by the desire to promote economic prosperity, has served as the foundation for institutionalized racism, which can be observed within multiple social and economic arenas today. As Dr. Crumpton noted, “Like the United States, Brazil officially ended slavery, but you could argue for many, many, many years, slavery existed in many forms…[and] still exists” (Crumpton, 2017a). In both the U.S. and Brazil, race and class are strongly connected, reflecting a shared history of racial inequality (Barbara, 2015; Karger & Stoesz, 2017). Compared to Caucasians, Afro-Brazilians are more likely to live in poverty, more likely to be murdered, and less likely to hold positions of power (Barbara, 2015), similar to the experiences of African Americans in the U.S. (Karger & Stoesz, 2017). Furthermore, elevated rates of incarceration and police brutality among Afro-Brazilians reflect ongoing institutionalized racism (Barbara, 2015). Other minority groups, particularly indigenous peoples and women, continue to be victims of violence and marginalization (Barbara, 2017). Similar to indigenous people in the U.S., millions of indigenous Brazilians were expelled from their lands, enslaved, and murdered by colonists, and their rights continue to be infringed upon (Barbara, 2017). In the past ten years, more than 800 indigenous people have been murdered, reflecting a terrifying pattern of genocide (Barbara, 2017). With respect to political systems, both the U.S. and Brazil represent federalist systems of government (Crumpton, 2017a), characterized by a constitutionally-based division of national and subnational governments (Crumpton, 2017b). The U.S. federal system distinguishes between BRAZIL SOCIAL POLICY 2 national and state governments (Crumpton, 2017a), while the Brazilian system distinguishes between national, state, and municipal governments (Crumpton, 2017a). Both countries generally adopt a “top-down” approach to policy-making (Crumpton, 2017b). In the U.S., policies are often created by the national legislature and implemented by executive branches of the federal government or by the states (Crumpton, 2017a). (However, the U.S. sometimes adopts a “bottom-up” approach, where state governments create policies that result in de facto national policies. [Crumpton, 2017b]). In Brazil, policies are created by the national government and implemented by state and municipal governments (Crumpton, 2017a). In general, authority is more decentralized in the U.S., such that state governments are often responsible for the design and implementation of national policies; while authority in Brazil is more deconcentrated, such that state and local governments implement policies as they were designed by the national government (Crumpton, 2017a). Thus, in Brazil, the municipal government plays a greater role in policy implementation than in the U.S., and this role continues to grow (Crumpton, 2017a). One limitation of Brazil’s federal system is that social policies are rarely contextuallysensitive (Crumpton, 2017a). As mentioned above, in Brazil, social policies are implemented by state and local governments, as prescribed by the national government (Crumpton, 2017a). Thus, social policies take the same form within each city, despite significant differences in size, wealth, geographic location, and social problems across cities (Crumpton, 2017a). As Dr. Ferriera noted, “We have different Brazils” (Crumpton, 2017a). Interestingly, both the U.S. and Brazil experience similar local-level tensions regarding the role of street-level bureaucrats in representing the unique interests of the people they represent (Crumpton, 2017a). In 1988, Brazil adopted a new constitution, resulting in the country’s first socialist government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Crumpton, 2017a). The new constitution emphasized the importance of (and universal right to) health, education, and social assistance (Crumpton, 2017a). While Brazil’s government had previously emphasized the promotion of economic policy, Lula’s presidency advocated for the expansion of social welfare policy to support the unique interests of his people (Crumpton, 2017a). To quote Dr. Ferriera, “Lula knows the reality of Brazil” (Crumpton, 2017a). Within the domain of health, President Lula designed new and augmented existing healthcare policies to create a universal health care system, which supported 160 million people (Crumpton, 2017a; Viana & Silva, 2015). Within the domain of education, President Lula created numerous programs that provided funding to BRAZIL SOCIAL POLICY 3 state and municipal governments to support students and to foster educational development (Crumpton, 2017a). Within the domain of food production, President Lula developed programs that supported small farmers, provided food to poor families and students, and introduced nutritional requirements (Crumpton, 2017a). Notably, Brazil’s “agricultural revolution” over the last 20 years has been connected to the promotion of social policies, which facilitated the development of a domestic market (Crumpton, 2017a). Within the domain of housing, President Lula created the program Minha Casa, Minha Vida, which was responsible for building over 5 million homes to support poor- and middle-class families (Crumpton, 2017a). This “housing revolution” has been linked to the remediation of diverse social concerns, including promoting education, increasing employment (by creating millions of jobs), and reducing social inequality (Crumpton, 2017a). This underscores the interconnected relationships between multiple social concerns. A major movement involved the expansion of the social welfare system, through the creation of 80,000 structures for social assistance and the allocation of increased funding (Crumpton, 2017a). In particular, President Lula created income distribution programs, which provided poor families with financial support for their basic necessities (Crumpton, 2017a). The program Bolsa Familia was innovative, by connecting basic sustenance policy with educational policy (Crumpton, 2017a). Specifically, families received income transfers for enrolling their children in school, which reduced child labor, increased education rates, and provided poor families with food and housing (Crumpton, 2017a;Viana & Silva, 2015). In summary, President Lula’s social policies lifted Brazilians out of poverty and fostered a new domestic market, thus connecting social policy and social rights with economic growth (Crumpton, 2017a). Recently, Brazil has experienced major economic and political changes. Brazil was strongly invested in off-shore oil drilling and soybean production, with China serving as a major creditor and importer (Crumpton, 2017a). However, a drastic drop in oil prices, combined with China’s diminished rate of economic expansion, resulted in national economic problems, which bred political unrest (Crumpton, 2017a). A political coup ousted President Dima Roussef, Brazil’s first female president, amid corruption accusations (Fisher & Taub, 2017). As a consequence, Brazil’s social agenda was deprioritized in order to promote its economic agenda, and minorities were disempowered (Crumpton, 2017a). This chain of events demonstrates how BRAZIL SOCIAL POLICY 4 political, social, and economic domains are inextricably linked, and how political shifts can impact social policy. Sample II: BRAZILIAN SOCIAL PROBLEMS & POLICY REFLECTION 2 The analytical frames that have guided our study of American social policy prove useful in comparing the social problems (along with their historical roots and the policies intended to mitigate them) of two nations: The United States of America (U.S.) and Brazil. Each of the analytical frames selected for discussion below highlight some remarkable similarities between the two nations, but further study reveals important differences that are responsible for the unique nature of the social welfare state of each nation. Historic Discrimination. The U.S. and Brazil have similar histories of origin as independent nations: indigenous populations had lived on both lands for centuries until colonial settlers arrived, and both operated under colonial rule (British, French and Spanish for the U.S. and Portuguese for Brazil) until declaring independence. Likewise, slavery was a cornerstone of the agricultural economy in both countries until the latter half of the 19th century. Slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888, but as in the U.S., lack of opportunity to buy land and other restrictive laws continued the owner/servant relationship and prevented blacks (and other marginalized groups including women and people living in poverty) from obtaining civil rights and genuine access to opportunity until the mid-20th century (Crumpton videos, 2016; Leubolt, 2014). Despite some guaranteed citizen rights that Brazil’s Federal Constitution of 1988 brought, as is the case in the U.S., discrimination and crime against blacks, indigenous people, and women continues in Brazil. Current Brazilian examples abound: a compilation of articles about Brazil published in the New York Times within the past few months includes a story about a racial slur made by a television reporter on camera about Afro-Brazilians, two stories about armed attacks on indigenous people/tribes, and a story about the prevalence of violence against women and domestic abuse/rape (Darlington, 2017; Barbara, 2017). Some even argue that the coup against Rousseff was driven by sexist determination to depose a female leader (Crumpton videos, 2016). Professor Crumpton aptly noted that in both countries, “fighting the influence of history is a challenge,” and the challenge we face in formulating social policy is that one cannot simply write social policies to fix attitudes that perpetuate discrimination and persecution (Crumpton videos, 2016). Capitalism/The Debate Between Market vs. Government Solutions. Numerous social policy examples illustrate the tension between American reverence for the capitalist market and governmental policy solutions. That tension often manifests itself as a pendulum that swings between these two polar ends, with any given solution not at either absolute end but veering BRAZILIAN SOCIAL PROBLEMS & POLICY REFLECTION 3 toward one end or the other. A prominent example is welfare income support: the current TANF program is a means-tested, selective program that is rooted in the residual or minimalist philosophy, meaning it was created on the belief that the market and the family should primarily provide for those in need, and then only as a last resort should a time-limited cash benefit (along with job training) be provided by the government (Crumpton, 2017). This example shows the pendulum favoring solutions of the free market. Obamacare, on the other hand, brought the individual mandate that requires health insurance coverage, along with funding support to make it more affordable for those in need, which shows the pendulum favoring government solutions to correct for inadequacies of the free market (Obama, 2017). Similar pendulum swings, exhibiting the same tension between desire to help people in need and reluctance to “give hand-outs” that can serve as disincentives to education and work, exist in Brazil. Much of Brazil’s history was marked by social inequality and limited government-provided welfare for people in need, while social welfare benefits were provided only to the “male, urban, industrial proletariat” by employers (Leubolt, 2014, p. 3). But then the socialist government, led by Luis Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) and then Dilma Rousseff between 2003 and 2016, actually swung the pendulum farther to the left than the U.S. has experienced. This government was created with the goals of increasing civil rights and making education, healthcare, and pension benefits available to all citizens (Leubolt, 2014). Lula and Rousseff made good on many of these promises. The Unified HealthCare System replaced the previous employment-based health insurance, minimum pension levels were created for all, the “Bolsa Familia,” or family allowance, provided expanded cash assistance to the poor (previously available only to the elderly and disabled), and such payments were contingent on school-aged children in the family attending school. As in the U.S., though, these payment amounts were set below the minimum wages one could earn through employment so no one would choose it over work (Leubolt, 2014; Crumpton videos, 2016). Clearly, the rationale that underpinned the English Poor Laws of centuries ago reached not only the U.S. but also other parts of the Americas. Leading up to and in the aftermath of the coup that overthrew Rousseff last year, the pendulum has swung in the other direction. Although the socialist policies that she and Lula implemented expanded the economy and the middle class, affordable housing and many other high cost elements of living remained far out of reach for many. The economy of Brazil tumbled BRAZILIAN SOCIAL PROBLEMS & POLICY REFLECTION 4 into great turmoil, and now the “apparent march of Brazil’s social policy towards a private social model forebodes major difficulties in maintaining the social rights written into the 1988 Federal Constitution, to the extent that this private model is conceptualized with a residual state and greater participation by market forces in the national development effort” (Viana & Silva, 2015). Federalism, Democratic Foundations, and Stability. As noted earlier, the U.S. and Brazil share similar colonial histories. However, Brazil did not establish a stable constitutional regime as did the U.S. upon declaring independence. Instead, it operated under monarchy and episodic military dictatorships until the 1980s, when the progressive democratic constitution and a federalist structure delineating responsibilities between the federal, state, and municipal governments were put in place. The federalist system in Brazil differs from that of the U.S. in that more responsibility is delegated to cities/municipalities, albeit with greater standardization dictated by the federal government. Some of the very same tensions between federal and local jurisdiction exist in the two systems, and as in the U.S., it is difficult in Brazil for standard policies to be equally effective in diverse geographic regions of the country (Crumpton course videos, 2016). Despite these relatively recent constitutional and structural changes in Brazil, because of its non-democratic history, the country continues to be fraught by political (and economic) instability while the U.S. has enjoyed 250 years of relative stability (Crumpton videos, 2016). In fact, since the 2016 coup, allegations of corruption and money laundering within the highest levels of Brazilian government have been rampant (with the three most recent Presidents under investigation or convicted and sentenced to prison), the stock market has plummeted and the economy is in deep recession, and the country has seen some of the most violent protests in its history (Londono, 2017). Perhaps the most pervasive problem that lies at the root of Brazil’s troubles is inequality, which is so deeply ingrained in the nation’s history and culture. Great inequality and a huge gap between rich and poor also exist in the U.S., but there is some cause for optimism in the U.S. that historical stability and continued progress toward social justice may reduce that inequality over time. It is difficult to envision such a future for Brazil. Perhaps future Brazilian leadership can bring an economic turn-around while drawing upon the rights of its constitution to improve the lives of the poor, the indigenous, people of color, and women. BRAZILIAN SOCIAL PROBLEMS & POLICY REFLECTION 5 References Barbara, V. (2017, November 9). Brazilian women can learn to yell. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/opinion/brazilian-women-yellmanners-feminism.html Barbara, V. (2017, May 29). The genocide of Brazil’s Indians. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/29/opinion/the-genocide-of-brazils-indians.html Crumpton, C.D. (2017). ‘It’s a Black Thing”: Offensive quip becomes a rallying cry in Brazil. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/world/americas/brazil-racism-william-waack.html Darlington, S. (2017, September 10). ‘Uncontacted’ Amazon tribe members reported killed in Brazil. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/10/world/americas/brazil-amazon-tribe-killings.html Leubolt, B. (2014). Social policies and redistribution in Brazil. International Labour Organization, Working Paper No. 26. Londono, E. (2017, October 26). President Temer of Brazil dodges corruption prosecution, again. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/25/world/americas/brazil-michel-temercorruption.html BRAZILIAN SOCIAL PROBLEMS & POLICY REFLECTION 6 Londono, E. (2017, November 18). In Rio de Janeiro, ‘complete vulnerability’ as violence surges. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/18/world/americas/rio-de-janeiro-brazil-violentcrime-security.html Obama, B. (2016). United States health care reform progress to date and next steps. JAMA, vol. 316, no. 5, 525-532. Viana, A.L.d’A., & Silva, H.P. (2015). Brazilian social policy in times of crisis: on the road to a private liberal social model? Perspectives, Cad. Saude Publica, Rio de Janiero, 31(12). • Feedback from a previous assignment • • Most of you have adopted a good citation and reference approach. However, many of you saw edits and comments from me regarding the adequacy of your citation routine - I take this seriously, so you should as well. • While many of you demonstrate a solid understanding of key course concepts and an ability to effectively apply them, some of you don't. Those of you who are having trouble in this area should go back to your course notes and required text and get them on board. In the next assignment - the Brazilian reflection - you will be expected to effectively deploy key course concepts again. • Finally, while some of you make good use of your key course sources - Karger and Stoesz (not Karger & Stoesz in the body of your narrative!!), your course notes, etc, some of you don't. So, be sure to make good use of your course sources in supporting the Brazil assignment. • The readings that you will find here for Session 13 do not take into account political and economic turmoil that has taken place in Brazil over the past two years. Brazil has experienced a political coup, a deep economic recession, and continuous political instability due to entrenched political corruption - including corruption involving the current President, Michel Temer. To help you understand this turmoil and the implications for social welfare and social policy in Brazil, you should review recent articles in the New York Times. These articles will also help you better understand problems that the U.S. and Brazil have in common. • These articles can be found at the following link: • https://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/#/brazil/ • To provide further assistance to you on our Brazil social problems and social policy unit, here is a link to an interactive map of Brazil. The source, Lonely Planet, is a reliable source of travel information on Brazil. • http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/south-america/brazil/ Chapters that we have been covering in class: Context of Social Policy Conceptual Approached to Social Welfare and Social Policy Historical Development of U.S. Social Welfare Conceptualizing Poverty in the U.S. Inequality and Discrimination in the U.S. Income Maintenance - Focus on Social Insurance Income Maintenance - Focus on Public Assistance and Welfare Reform Health Care and Nutrition Policy Other Quality of Life Issues, Policies and Programs Social Services - Description and Analysis American Social Policy in a Changing World Comparative Social Policy: Social Problems and Social Policy in Brazil REQUIRED TEXT Karger, H.J. and Stoesz, D. (2018). American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach, Eighth Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Barusch. A.S. (2015). Foundations of Social Policy: Social Justice in Human Perspective, 5rd Edition. Boston, MA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. Chambers, D.E. and Bonk, J.F. (2013). Social Policy and Social Programs: A Method for the Practical Public Policy Analyst, 6th Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Day, P.J. and Schiele, J. (2013). A New History of Social Welfare, Seventh Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Dolgoff, R. and Feldstein, D. (2013). Understanding Social Welfare: A Search for Social Justice, Ninth Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Dye, T.R. (2013). Understanding Public Policy, 14th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NU: Prentice Hall. Obama, B. (2016). United States Health Care Reform Progress to Date and Next Steps. JAMA, vol. 316, no. 5, 525-532 Midgley, J. and Livermore, M. (eds.) (2009). The Handbook of Social Policy, Second Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Wilson, William J. (2009). More Than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City. New York City: Norton. Viana, A.L.D. and Silva, H.P.D. (2015). Brazilian Social Policy in Times of Crisis: On the Road to a Private Liberal Social Model? Cad. Saúde Pública, vol. 31, no.12, 1-3. Arnold, J. and JallesJ. (2014), “Dividing the Pie in Brazil: Income Distribution, Social Policies and the New Middle Class”, OECD Economics Department Working Papers, No. 1105, OECD Publishing Leubolt, B. (2014). Social policies and redistribution in Brazil. Geneva: International Labour Office, Global Labour University.