DECONSTRUCTING RIGHTS: THE IMPACTS OF PENSION REFORMS ON RETIREMENT IN BRAZIL

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impacts of Brazilian pension reforms, in light of the tension between the neoliberal model and the principles of the Welfare State. Based on a historical-critical approach, the study investigates the evolution of Social Security in Brazil, from its institutionalization in the 20th century to the profound transformations promoted by the constitutional reforms of 1998, 2003, 2005 and 2019. Based on classical authors such as Bismarck and Beveridge, and contemporary analyses such as Harvey (2005), Fagnani (2018) and Lavinas (2020), the study shows that the reforms, guided by a fiscalist logic, resulted in greater social inequality, especially among women, informal workers and rural workers. The research, of a bibliographic and qualitative nature, argues that the social security model must reconcile fiscal balance with social justice, ensuring the fundamental rights of the working population and intergenerational solidarity.