Two opinion pieces published in Folha de S.Paulo on January 11, 2026, debate Brazil's challenges, advocating efficient management and critiquing policies that exacerbate inequalities, amid the 2026 elections context.
Amid pre-election debates for 2026, Folha de S.Paulo published two opinion pieces addressing Brazil's chronic problems and proposing solutions based on effective public management.
In the first text, former São Paulo governor João Doria argues that the country has qualities like vast biodiversity and strong agribusiness productivity, but faces persistent social issues. He cites over 49 million Brazilians without full access to basic sanitation, about 2 million children and adolescents out of school, and health queues affecting millions. Doria stresses that the issue is not lack of resources, but managerial inefficiency: "The central problem is not budgetary—it is managerial. There is a lack of method to turn resources into results."
Drawing from his São Paulo government experience (2019-2022), he describes initiatives like real-time monitoring panels that sped processes from months to weeks, and the "SP Sem Papel" program, which digitized over 100 million documents. Another example is the "Corujão da Saúde," which cleared a backlog of 536,000 delayed exams in five months by reorganizing the SUS network for nighttime services, without increased spending.
In the second piece, an engineer and IEA-USP researcher criticizes zero-fare public transport proposals as a "policy of inequality." Based on data from 130 municipalities and Metrô-SP origin-destination research, he states that more people with income to pay would benefit than those without resources, burdening everyone, including retirees. He suggests vouchers or full implementation of Law 10.835/2004 on Basic Citizenship Income, approved with Eduardo Suplicy's support. The author notes 7.4 million in extreme poverty and 48.9 million in poverty, proposing to redirect zero-fare resources and cut 20% of federal tax exemptions (R$ 644 million in 2024) to eradicate extreme poverty.
Both texts call for a focus on concrete proposals in the elections, prioritizing transparency and efficiency to reduce inequalities and improve public services.