Banca de DEFESA: JOSÉ ANTÔNIO NUNES DE SOUZA

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : JOSÉ ANTÔNIO NUNES DE SOUZA
DATE: 10/02/2026
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Google Meet
TITLE:

The Bolsa Família program and poverty reduction in the territory of Rio Grande do Norte - 2004-2025

KEY WORDS:

Territory, poverty, event, Bolsa Família program.

PAGES: 174
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Geografia
SUMMARY:

Income transfer programs constitute a fundamental milestone within the scope of Brazilian social assistance policy. Their consolidation occurred amidst a broad debate on combating poverty and, above all, extreme poverty, intensified throughout the 1990s. The economic transformations that took place in the early 1990s and their repercussions in the social sphere significantly increased the demand for public policies aimed at mitigating poverty and extreme poverty. This scenario was largely a result of the severe recession experienced throughout the 1980s, characterized by high rates of unemployment and inflation, which persisted even after the implementation of successive economic stabilization plans. As a consequence, a significant portion of the population was observed living in conditions of social vulnerability. The first experiences in implementing and operating broader income transfer programs began in 1995. Generally, these programs were characterized by the reduction of poverty and extreme poverty, the improvement of the living standards of families in situations of social vulnerability, and articulation with more structural public policies, especially in the areas of education and health. The Bolsa Família program emerged in this context as a proposal for administrative reorganization, aimed at correcting weaknesses in previous programs and expanding coverage and targeting, particularly through the strengthening of the Unified Registry for Social Programs. Therefore, the general objective of this study was to analyze the development of the Bolsa Família Program in the state of Rio Grande do Norte from 2004 to 2025, emphasizing its contribution to poverty reduction. The theoretical dimension of the research is based on the category of "used territory," as defined by Santos and Silveira (2008) and Santos (1994), reflecting on the role of public policies as an expression of state norms and power within the territory. The category of "event," proposed by Santos (1996), allowed us to understand the Bolsa Família Program as a structured event, endowed with the capacity for intervention and transformation of social reality. The category of "geographic situation," as described by Silveira (1999), was also used, recognizing that the materiality and organization of events manifest themselves differently in each place, considering the interaction between the agents present in the territory and the formation of new social arrangements. Through a quantitative and qualitative approach, cartographic tools and field research in selected municipalities were employed to capture the territorial and institutional specificities of the program's operation. The results show that the Bolsa Família Program, understood as a geographic event, has produced positive effects in reducing poverty in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Furthermore, based on the perceptions of municipal managers and beneficiaries in the municipalities studied, it was found that the program has contributed significantly to reducing social vulnerability and improving living conditions in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1804177 - DIEGO SALOMAO CANDIDO DE OLIVEIRA SALVADOR
Interna - ***.783.548-** - MARIA APARECIDA PONTES DA FONSECA - UFRN
Externo ao Programa - 1221864 - THALES AUGUSTO MEDEIROS PENHA - UFRNExterno à Instituição - HERONILSON PINTO FREIRE - UERN
Externo à Instituição - Reili Amon-Há Vieira dos Santos - UFAL