She is probably right. Most shacks have TVs and stoves. Still, it's desperately poor. Many of these neighborhoods exist on the edge of the law. In 1999, greater Sao Paulo had 9,000 murders, says Norman Gall, an American who has lived in Brazil since 1977 and heads the Fernand Braudel Institute of World Economics.
Violence breeds security-consciousness.
Houses and apartments in wealthy neighborhoods are typically walled and gated, frequently with security guards. Brazil's economic and social prospects depend heavily on foreign investment, which in turn depends heavily on the global economy and political stability. The first is faltering, and an economic crisis in neighboring Argentina compounds the uncertainty. Meanwhile, politics remains a question mark. But Cardoso can't run again in 2002.