Development, Inequality and access to communication and information technology in BRICS countries

This Policy Brief analyzes the relationship between development and inequality in the experiences of the BRICS countries, which diverge from the trajectory of the countries currently under development. First, we point out the difference between development and economic growth, evidencing how both processes are not necessarily concomitant, and the reduction of poverty and inequality are not direct and invariable consequences of the growth process. Therefore, we show the evolution of the Gini and Human Development indices of the BRICS countries, pointing out that, despite the emergence of high economic growth, the BRICS have presented difficulties in distributing the gains of their progress in an egalitarian way, considering some variations between them.