Income distribution in Brazil in the 1980s
Abstract
Contrary to the huge development of the Brazilian economy from the post-war
to the end of the seventies, the eighties signified the rupture of this cycle and the combination
of a chronic inflationary process, the economic stagnation and the worsening of
income inequality. These factors together have not revealed to be neutral concerning the
distributive aspect. Between 1981 and 1989, the income of the 10 per cent richer increased
14,2 per cent, while the income of the 20 per cent poorer decreased 26 per cent. This work
presents some international comparisons, even on the functional as well as on the personal
distribution of income and concludes that this distribution becomes a fundamental aspect
to the stabilization and to the economic-social development recovering.
JEL Classification: O15.
Keywords: Inequality income distribution