The potential impact of austerity on the Sustainable Development Goals in Brazil
After many decades of sustained investment and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Brazil implemented unprecedent cuts to public spending. The onset of the economic recession in 2014 led to the introduction of a constitutional amendment that caps spending on key areas such as health, education, social protection, and the environment. These austerity policies have remained in place even after the Covid 19 pandemic. This article identifies the impacts of spending cuts on the achievement of the SDGs by analysing budget changes in federal programmes. The study selected 19 programmes implemented from 2014 to 2017 and directly linked to the SDGs. The analysis concludes that austerity measures are likely to increase social and economic inequalities as well as disparities in health outcomes. The planet is also bound to pay a high price for the lack of investment in policies to protect biodiversity and address climate change.
Citation
de Souza, L. E. P. F., de Barros, R. D., Barreto, M. L., Katikireddi, S. V., Hone, T. V., de Sousa, R. P., ... & Pescarini, J. (2019). The potential impact of austerity on attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in Brazil. BMJ Global Health, 4(5), e001661.