ECONOMIC INEQUALITIES ON THE GOVERNMENT AGENDA: An Analysis of the Rhetorical Agenda of the Presidents of the Republic between 2002 and 2022

• Grant number: 24/08330-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Effective date (Start): October 27, 2024
• Effective date (End): April 26, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Public Policies
• Principal Investigator: Felipe Gonçalves Brasil
• Grantee: William Barros Albuquerque de Melo
• Supervisor: Rebecca Michelle Eissler
• Host Institution: Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades (EACH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Research place: San Francisco State University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/03116-1 - Inequalities in Brazil: An analysis of the plans of presidential governments between 2002 and 2022, BP.MS

Abstract

The recent increase in economic inequalities, both in emerging, developing countries, and established democracies, challenges classic theories such as the "median voter theorem" and the "inverted u". In Brazil, despite welfare policies reducing inequalities by favoring the poorest, the wealthiest have maintained their incomes. According to the 2022 World Inequality Lab report, the top 10% hold about 59% of the national income, while the top 1% has appropriated 50% of the wealth in the last two decades. Studies show that economic inequality deteriorates social cohesion, increasing violence, discrimination, and resource waste, hampering sustainable development.The objective of this project is to analyze government attention to economic inequality in the speeches of Brazilian presidents between 2002 and 2022. To do so, a mixed methodological approach is employed, combining documentary research through content analysis (qualitative) with the generation of a quantifiable database (quantitative). The hypothesis is that discourse on economic inequalities has become less relevant over time. Preliminary results indicate a reduction in government attention to social welfare, access to healthcare, and education in presidential speeches.This BEPE project aims to further analyze the data and its contexts to understand its particularities and infer more robust conclusions. Through detailed analysis of presidential speeches, patterns, trends, and predictors in addressing economic inequalities over the past two decades are expected to be identified. This deeper understanding can provide valuable insights into the Brazilian rhetorical agenda and strategies to combat inequalities.