Políticas de transferência de renda para pessoas idosas : Uma análise atual do Benefício de Prestação Continuada no Brasil

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which Brazil’s Benefício de Prestação Continuada (BPC) has promoted economic security and social equity for vulnerable older adults, in the context of structural inequalities and fiscal constraints. A qualitative, exploratory approach was adopted, grounded in an integrative literature review and the analysis of secondary data from official sources, normative documents, and international reports. The findings indicate that the BPC consistently performs a non-contributory protective role by guaranteeing a minimum income and reducing immediate exposure to material deprivation, particularly among older adults whose work histories are marked by informality and low contributory density. However, the programme’s contribution to social equity is not automatic: the effective realization of this right depends on implementation dynamics, within which barriers to access and benefit continuity persist and tend to intensify with advancing age and vulnerability. Judicialisation emerges as a structural component of the benefit’s operation, functioning as a recurring channel for contesting administrative denials and disputing eligibility criteria and evidentiary standards, thereby contributing to unequal realization of the right. In addition, fiscal and administrative constraints—such as backlogs, fluctuations in operational capacity, and control routines—produce delays and uncertainty, potentially increasing indirect costs and litigation. It is concluded that the BPC strengthens economic security, but its capacity to promote equity depends on governance arrangements, state capacity, and the reduction of institutional frictions.