in fact, not only a large middle lass has been created in rio, but it is common to find residents in favelas with combined household income comparable to the combined income of families in standard neighborhoods.

it is said that the natural beauty of rio de janeiro, along with the relaxed and festive culture of the city available to all, acts as social equalizer - and that it has effectively diminished much social tensions.

published by the city hall, the study índice de desenvolvimento social -  ids: comparando as realidades  microurbanas da cidade do rio de  janeiro (index of social development - ids: comparing micro-urban realities of the city of rio de janeiro) is a somewhat old paper but very telling document, especially when read in conjunction with the more recent paper características e evolução recente do emprego e da economia carioca e metropolitana (characteristics and recent evolution of employment and economy in metropolitan rio de janeiro).