A presentation by Ricardo Paes de Barros, University of Chicago Tinker Visiting Professor, and Researcher at the Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (IPEA), a public foundation linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management. This lecture stems from a 2006 IPEA report on the "Recent Fall in Income Inequality in Brazil". This report sought to consolidate the recent and dramatic decline in income inequality in Brazil, evaluate its impact and relevance, identify its main determinants, and finally to draft public policy recommendations so that the decline in income inequality could continue, or even increase, in coming years. Sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies.