Criteria of fairness and minimum income programs

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze three minimum income programs, transformed into law on the federal level. The first, created during the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Administration, offers financial support to municipalities by creating programs to guarantee minimum income associated to social-educational activities. The second program is the Family Grant program instituted during the Lula government. The third program, drafted by Senator Eduardo Suplicy, institutes a basic citizens' income. The analysis is inserted in a broader debate related to defense of unconditional income, as a form of overcoming the social welfare state. The central argument is that Brazil, even during the Lula government, has emphasized focused policies at the cost of universal ones.