"A short walk through the most central neighborhoods of Sao Paulo is enough to witness the enormous inequality that divides Brazil. While barefoot men with gray blankets over their shoulders rummage through the garbage for food or empty cans to scrape together a few coins, helicopters fly over the skyscrapers, following air corridors. On board are executives on their way to work or families with children and nannies heading to their weekend getaways."
"More than 53,000 public employees, mostly judges, receive salaries above the limit imposed by the Constitution thanks to various loopholes. There are 12 such cases in Colombia and three in Portugal. A recent study comparing the salary cap for civil servants in 11 countries clearly demonstrates the extraordinary nature of the Brazilian case. The country will never be a decent democracy as long as it allows itself to be plundered by a predatory civil service elite, declared an editorial in the newspaper Estadao."
"Although inequality is decreasing in Brazil, the country remains high in the ranking of countries with extremely privileged elites. The drop in unemployment and the implementation of social programs, such as the well-known Bolsa Familia, have brought the Gini coefficient to its lowest level in a decade (to 0.504, where 0 represents absolute equality and 1 the maximum inequality). Yet, although the gap has narrowed somewhat, in very few countries is income so unevenly distributed: the wealthiest 10% earn three times more than the poorest 40%."
Central Sao Paulo neighborhoods reveal stark inequality where barefoot men rummage through garbage while helicopters ferry executives and families. The civil service mirrors this disparity: more than 53,000 public employees, mostly judges, receive salaries above the constitutional limit through loopholes. Comparable countries show far fewer such cases, highlighting Brazil's exceptional situation. Congress is debating civil service reform aimed at eliminating these privileges. Declines in unemployment and social programs like Bolsa Familia have lowered the Gini coefficient to 0.504, yet income remains highly concentrated: the top 10% earn three times more than the bottom 40%.
Read at english.elpais.com
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