This paper evaluates the long-run effects of economic instability. In particular, we study the impact of idiosyncratic shocks to father’s income on children’s human capital accumulation variables such as school drop-outs, repetition rates and domestic and non-domestic labor. Although, the problem of child labor in Brazil has declined greatly during the last decade, the number of children working is still substantial. The low levels of educational attainment in Brazil are also a main cause for concern.

 The paper will make two excursions into specificity. First, we examine the impact, during a period of stable and strong growth, of an increase in the minimum wage, which was raised from 70 reais to 100 reais in May 1995. Second, we discuss the effects of the recent recession, and surmise a little on the implications of the PME data for social protection policy in Brazil.

Brazil’s experience shows that the economic and political history of a country is a critical determinant of which labor laws influence wages and employment, and which are not binding. Long periods of high inflation, illiteracy of the workforce, and biases in the design and enforcement of labor legislation bred by the country’s socioeconomic history are all important in determining the reach of labor laws. Defying conventional wisdom, these factors are shown to affect labor market outcomes even in the sector of employment regarded as unregulated.

O presente estudo tem como objetivo descrever o processo de acumulação e desacumulação de riqueza financeira ao longo do ciclo da vida. Especial ênfase é atribuída a demanda de ativos por parte dos idosos brasileiros. O trabalho está dividido em duas partes, na primeira fazemos uma resenha da literatura sobre as motivações por trás da demanda de ativos de longo prazo das unidades familiares.

Este artigo analisa a mobilidade ocupacional dos afro-brasileiros vis a vis àquela observada no restante da sociedade brasileira. Em particular, o trabalho examina até que ponto os empregados negros tendem a se tornar futuros empregadores ou futuros desempregados. Dito de outra maneira, a pergunta é se a tendência relativa deste grupo racial é prosperar, reduzindo as disparidades raciais observadas; ou regredir, ampliando-as.

Este artigo apresenta um perfil de pobreza para o Brasil, com base em três diferentes pesquisas domiciliares de 1996. Nós usamos a PPV para estimar as linhas de pobreza e indigência. A Contagem Populacional é usada para permitir um refinamento inédito do mapa da pobreza do país. As medidas de pobreza também são apresentadas para um amplo conjunto de sub-grupos, com base na PNAD de 1996, com novos ajustamentos por aluguéis imputados e por diferenças espaciais de custo de vida.

This paper analysis the impacts of Brazilian macroeconomic developments during the 1990´s on labor market and social indicators. Special emphasis is given to the period marked by the adverse effects of external shocks such as the Asian crisis of 1997, the Russian crisis of 1998 and the Brazilian devaluation crisis of 1999. Our main conclusion is that the description of the social impacts of these crisis does not fit a single story. We show that the plot of the main stories observed depend on at least three dimensions: i) Who was affected by the shocks?

Brazil has a substantial share – about 60% by some measures - of its employees working without labor registry and 62% of its private sector workers not contributing to social security. Informality is important because its job precaurioness, social desprotection consequences, and it is also very correlated with poverty and other social welfare concepts measured at a family level. 58% of the country population that is found below the indigent line live in families headed by informal workers.