COMPREHENDING THE CLASS STRUCTURE SPECIFICITY IN BRAZIL.

The main theoretical and empirical interest of this article is the wide set of destitute class positions that characterise the social structure specificity in Brazil. First, a socioeconomic classification for Brazil, based on a neo-Marxist concept of social class, is introduced and defended against an alternative approach. At the same time a brief conceptual and observational characterisation of all 16 class positions from this classification is provided, with a comprehensive specification of the relevant destitute class positions. Then, a comparison is made between this neo-Marxist typology and the neo-Weberian class scheme applied to Brazil. Economic inequality and its recent trends in Brazil are characterised through data regarding the absolute and relative changes in the earnings distribution between the class positions from 1992 to 2008. The distribution of class positions within each geographical region is presented, highlighting the intersection of class with gender and race. Social indicators are presented that describe the implications of the work activity performed with insufficient or without assets, as well as the consequences of job exclusion. Statistical models are finally applied to measure the independent effects, controlling for some co-variables, of the class positions on the family earnings and on the relative health status of the individuals. As a conclusion, a synthetic characterisation of the three groupings of destitute positions is offered that presents the specificity of the Brazilian class structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]