A evolução dos salários e seus reflexos na estrutura de gastos das famílias brasileiras entre 2002 e 2009: uma perspectiva keynesiana

Abstract

This main aim to understand the evolution of salaries in the Brazilian economy and analyze its effects on structure of household expenditures between 2002 and 2009, from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (POF - Pesquisa de Orçamento Familiar). To this end, we use John Maynard Keynes theory aiming to explore the concept of fundamental psychological law for Brazil, which allowed to demonstrate that the law was applied in the country in this period. Therefore, we sought to assimilate the behaviour of wages and consumption, which experienced a new economic dynamic in the period studied. This dynamic was driven by economic growth context, the greater role of the state, fall in unemployment, formalization of work, increased income due the minimum wage policy and cash transfer programmes; low inflation; fall in interest rates; credit expansion and modification of relative prices. To investigate wages and consumption, we highlight some points in Keynes theory: with regard to the determination of wages and his debate with the neoclassical school and the concepts related to consumption, such as the propensity to consume. This allowed to establish that there was general increase in income, especially for classes located at the extremes of the studied lace bands, a result of worker-conjuncture duality (according to our definition); and also found a reduction in propensity to consume, due to the increase of employment, income, and the greater share of expenses related to the acquisition of property reform, loan and payment booklets, taxes and labor contributions that do not incorporate consumer spending as the POF