Expansão do estado de bem-estar social no Brasil mesmo diante de restrições fiscaisimpactos no equilíbrio fiscal sustentável

Resumo

Purpose – This study examines the expansion of social assistance and social security expenditures within the Brazilian Welfare State established by the 1988 Constitution, identifying the main institutional and political factors underlying this trajectory. Design/Methodology – The research adopts a qualitative theoretical-empirical approach, drawing on secondary data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), the National Treasury Secretariat (STN), and international organizations, covering the period from 1988 to 2024. Descriptive analyses of social spending trends are combined with a qualitative discussion grounded in specialized literature, encompassing historical, political, and fiscal dimensions. Findings – The findings indicate that the expansion of social assistance and social security has followed a continuous and cumulative pattern, generating increasing budgetary rigidity and mounting pressure on public finances. This dynamic is explained by factors such as the judicialization of social policy, the influence of corporatist arrangements, and the recurrent use of social benefits as instruments of political bargaining within populist strategies. Research limitations – The study relies exclusively on secondary data subject to methodological revisions, focuses primarily on the federal level, and is limited to social assistance and social security, which constrains both historical comparability and the scope of the conclusions. Practical Implications – Based on the results, policymakers and fiscal authorities can identify institutional drivers of social spending growth, providing analytical support for the design of adjustments aimed at fiscal sustainability and a balanced social protection framework. Social implications – The study offers a critical theoretical perspective on the interaction between social policy and public finance, contributing to the debate on institutional arrangements capable of reconciling social protection with fiscal responsibility. Originality – The originality of the study lies in its integrated analysis of post-1988 welfare state expansion and fiscal outcomes, highlighting the combined role of legal, political, and institutional factors in shaping social expenditure dynamics.

Ficha do documento

Tipo

Dissertação

Ano

2025

Instituição

Fundação Getulio Vargas

Fonte

Repositório da FGV

Idioma

Português

Acesso

Acesso aberto

Identificador

oai:repositorio.fgv.br:10438/38277

Temas

Políticas PúblicasFinanças PúblicasAdministração PúblicaMeio Ambiente

Palavras-chave

Estado de bem-estar socialPrevidência socialAssistência socialSustentabilidade fiscalCorporativismoPopulismoWelfare stateSocial securitySocial assistanceFiscal sustainabilityCorporatismPopulismAdministração públicaFinanças públicasPolíticas públicasBem-estar social