Do Structural Inequalities Exist and Should Government Do Anything About Them? The Roots of Polarization in Brazil

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David Samuels
Distinguished McKnight University Professor
University of Minnesota

Polarization in Brazil reflects a classic political divide about whether government should foster social and economic equality or not. Specifically, PT supporters and opponents disagree about the importance of structural inequalities of race, class, and gender versus individual effort and merit versus in shaping social mobility. PT partisans accept that such inequalities limit individual opportunities, and support government efforts to level the playing field. By contrast, the party’s opponents deny the importance of structural inequalities and reject PT policies as unnecessary and counterproductive. Our findings suggest that although polarization can look similar in different contexts, in countries characterized by deep historical inequalities its roots can stem from clashing perspectives on the consequences of domestic social inclusion policies.