at is required to move the world's sixth largest country (population), and tenth largest economy (gross national product) from the status of a developing to a developed country.
While Brazilian cities are generally well off, distressing numbers of people are required to live in the favelas, or shantytowns, that have developed on the outskirts of the country's major urban areas. The people who live in the favelas moved from the countryside without promise of a good job, but with hope that they will be able to participate in an improving economy. Their numbers are usually more than a city can accommodate.
Income distribution is highly skewed in Brazil, where the richest 10 percent of the population receive 50.6 percent of national income (de Castro, 1993, p. 75). That proportion compares to 26.6 percent in the United States. The richest 20 percent of Brazilians control two-thirds of national income, compared to 42.8 percent in the United States. Brazil has a two-tiered economy--almost as if there are two
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