A comparative perspective on poverty reduction in Brazil, China and India

Brazil, China and India have witnessed falling poverty during their reform periods, but to varying degrees and for different reasons. This paper compares the experiences of these three countries and elaborates on what they could learn from each other. For example, Brazil's success in complementing market-oriented reforms with progressive social policies has helped it achieve more rapid poverty reduction than India, although Brazil has been less successful in terms of economic growth, particularly when compared to China’s rapid economic growth. In the wake of its steep rise in inequality, however, China might learn from Brazil's success with such social policies. India needs to do more to assure that poor people are able to participate in both the country's growth process and its social policies; here there are lessons from both China and Brazil. The report concludes that all three countries have learned how important macroeconomic stability is to poverty reduction.