The Crisis of Capital and Neoliberal Measures: The State's Counter-Reform, Social Policies in Dependent Countries and the Reality of Brazil in the Years 2003–2016

La crisis del capital y las medidas neoliberales: contrarreforma del Estado, políticas sociales en los países dependientes y la realidad de Brasil en los años 2003 - 2016

This article reports on research to inquire into the effects of neoliberalism on social policies in Brazil. During their tenures at the head of Brazil, the Workers' Party stood out for apparent steps forward in social policies, an increase in funds allocated to social programs, the defense of universalism, and a neo-developmentalist discourse. In other words, governments are against the mandates of monopoly financial capital in most Latin American countries. Considering this, we went through a bibliographic review of documents presenting reflective analyses. Our review suggests that to understand and analyze Latin America and Brazil's social policies, we cannot overlook elements like the crisis of capital, social inequity, and the public debt burden through seizing these dependent countries' public funds. Thus, we conclude that neoliberalism has brought about and is briefly accentuating social exclusion and inequality, which will have a long-lasting effect, and that reintegrating these people to society will require a long-term project based on a mode of production other than capitalism.