Construção de um índice de pobreza multidimensional brasileiro: dimensões de pobreza segundo a Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil (1988)

Abstract

This dissertation examines the 1988 Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil (CRFB) through the lens of Sen’s Capability Approach and Rawls’s Political Constructivism, with the aim of identifying relevant dimensions of poverty in Brazil and proposing the development of a Brazilian Multidimensional Poverty Index (IPMB) aligned with the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. The research seeks to overcome the limitations of poverty measures based solely on monetary criteria or on standardised global indices, which fail to capture the specificities of Brazilian society. Employing a hypothetical-deductive and exploratory methodological design, the study draws upon documentary analysis and an extensive literature review. The historical evolution of the concept of poverty in both academia and policy practice reveals the constraints of a unidimensional, income-centred approach and underscores the importance of multidimensional perspectives. Various methodologies for analysing multidimensional poverty are discussed, particularly those designed to support the formulation of effective public policies through national indices. Special attention is given to the Constitutional Approach, developed in Italy, which uses democratic constitutions as normative foundations for identifying the dimensions that may compose a legally grounded and nationally representative Multidimensional Poverty Index. Applying this methodology to the CRFB/1988, the study identifies six dimensions of poverty to structure a future IPMB: Autonomy, Culture, Housing, Health, Education, and the Environment. It also proposes a set of preliminary indicators that may enable quantitative analysis of these dimensions in subsequent, more detailed research. This dissertation fills an important gap in the literature by offering a rigorous and contextually grounded instrument capable of informing more effective and legally meaningful social policies for the realisation of fundamental rights in Brazil.