Brazil: Information on whether it is common practice for individuals in Brazil to approach political parties and request financial assistance in return for party support
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BRA28524.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Brazil: Information on whether it is common practice for individuals in Brazil to approach political parties and request financial assistance in return for party support, 1 January 1998, BRA28524.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad964.html [accessed 8 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following information was provided during a 16 January 1998 telephone interview with an assistant professor of political science at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. The professor specializes in Brazilian politics, lived in Brazil from 1988 to 1990, and has done field research in the country at least once a year from 1990 to present. The professor is the author of Democracy Without Equity: Failures of Reform in Brazil (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1996). He has also published recent articles on Brazilian politics in the Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs and the Journal of Democracy.
The professor stated that it is a common and normal practice for individuals in Brazil to approach political parties and request financial assistance in return for party support. He added that Brazilian politicians are not elected on the basis of their program but on their capacity to offer gifts, favors and services to their electorat. The professor mentioned that these gifts and favors can range from paying a hospital bill for the sick father of a supporter to offering a pair of shoes for the children of a poor family. According to the professor, "75 per cent of all members of the national congress owe their position not to their program, they do not have one, but to pork barel politics." The professor stated that he witnessed on many occasions, while conducting research at the Brazilian Congress, politicians actively lobbying members of the executive to request jobs, privileges and various favors either for themselves or for their constituencies or both. He mentioned that altough the practice is informal, it is well established in Brazilian politics, since the entire political system rests on clientelism.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. 16 January 1998. Telephone interview with an assistant professor of political science specializing in Brazilian politics.
Additional Sources Consulted
Journal of Democracy [Washington]. 1995-1998.
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs [Miami]. 1997-1998.
Latin American Regional Reports: Brazil Report [London]. 1995-1998.
On-line search.
