Bolsa Família, a 20-year emergency

Economists interviewed by CNN emphasize the importance of the program but point out that it has not yet managed to stop the transmission of poverty between generations.

“I wouldn’t say that [Bolsa Família] stumbled, or at least that it didn’t stumble on its own. The fact is that Brazil has faced a very low growth rate in the last 30 years. Every time it was forced, there was a post-growth crisis, which is similar to what we see today,” says Paulo Tafner, president of the Institute for Mobility and Social Development (IMDS).