Abstract
Former President, Lula da Silva, from the Brazilian Workers Party (PT), has been jailed for corruption, nepotism and mismanagement of public funds. He was found to be part of the Car Wash scandal that involved bribery linked to Brazil’s Petrobras oil company and has led to the incarceration of several other Brazilian politicians.
The contentious and dividing consequences of Lula’s imprisonment are enormous.
During Lula da Silva’s administration, Brazil’s economic boom was capitalised into his signature program, the bolsa familia (family allowance). This program was a conditional cash transfer providing a monthly stipend to low-income mothers to take their children to school and for regular medical checks. Some argue that the bolsa familia was an act of political demagoguery, but in 2012 it was heralded by the World Bank as a “new lesson to the world” on improving living standards for the poor. Indeed, between 2003 and 2012, poverty rates dropped from 40 per cent to 20 per cent
The contentious and dividing consequences of Lula’s imprisonment are enormous.
During Lula da Silva’s administration, Brazil’s economic boom was capitalised into his signature program, the bolsa familia (family allowance). This program was a conditional cash transfer providing a monthly stipend to low-income mothers to take their children to school and for regular medical checks. Some argue that the bolsa familia was an act of political demagoguery, but in 2012 it was heralded by the World Bank as a “new lesson to the world” on improving living standards for the poor. Indeed, between 2003 and 2012, poverty rates dropped from 40 per cent to 20 per cent
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Specialist publication | Australian Outlook |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Apr 2018 |
