The new consensus in Brazilian society: democracy and equality

This article investigates the convergence of opinions between Brazilian elites and population about the policies of reduction of poverty and inequality. The international literature is divided in two groups, one that affirms opposite visions between elites and mass towards this issue, and one that sustains that the difficulties that democracies face to reach economic and social development lead to a consensus, in which social policies for poverty reduction are critical. The analysis compares the results from CSES-ESEB 2010 to research data came from an elite survey conducted in 2009. The results support the idea that there is a social consensus between elites and general population. Adapted from the source document.