A internacionalização do Programa Bolsa Família: uma análise dos discursos presidenciais de Lula (2023-2026)

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which the Brazilian government sought to internationalize the Bolsa Família Program (PBF) during Lula's third presidential term (2023–2026), analyzing speeches and official statements by the President of the Republic. To this end, the research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Thus, it delves into the field of Public Policy (PP) studies, defining Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs and analyzing the trajectory of the PBF from its consolidation (2003) to its reconstruction (2023). Furthermore, it explores the specialized literature on public policy internationalization processes, particularly regarding the internationalization of CCTs. To analyze governmental efforts to internationalize the PBF, the study incorporates the concept of policy ambassadors, focusing on the image of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as a key actor in promoting social agendas aimed at combating hunger and poverty within Brazil’s international agenda. Lula’s presidential speeches and statements were examined using content analysis to identify the frequency of the recording units “Hunger,” “Poverty,” and “Bolsa Família” from January 1st, 2023, to June 29, 2026, in order to infer the degree of internationalization of the PBF. As a result, the study concludes that there are no indications that the PBF was leveraged by the government agenda as a policy to be emulated by other countries.