Foreword
Marcos Mendes has done an exhaustive work. He proposes a hypothesis regarding the functioning of the Brazilian social contract and its dysfunctions that, as we know, have resulted in a political balance of low growth and some reduction in inequality. To support his arguments, Mendes has made exhaustive use of recent literature on economic growth and political economy and has compiled an impressive collection of data and empirical evidence.
The basic argument is that inequality creates a great deal of pressure for redistribution. In very unequal societies, the average income is much above that of the typical voter. It is natural that the voter will usually vote to increase the tax burden and transfers.
This natural result of the democratic ...
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