Reciprocity and analysis of public policies in Brazil

Abstract

Building on the principles of the reciprocity theory in Economic Anthropology, this paper proposes a critical reading of social and economic relationships exclusively framed through the use of a market exchange approach. The latter approach denies the existence of structured relationships of reciprocity in rural Brazil’s case – the subject of this article. We argued that public policy for rural areas is limited and outlined by an understanding of development as a process solely based on the principle of exchange. I propose a more comprehensive analysis of rural policy making using reciprocity relationships theory and stakeholders’ social configurations.