The rise of the middle class in emerging democracies is an
important global issue. An expanding and large middle class
is vital for inclusion and stability, especially in developing
countries with many poor and excluded people. However,
comparative research on this phenomenon from within
developing countries has been rare. To address this gap, think
tanks from India, Brazil and South Africa held a workshop
late in 2012, hosted by the Instituto Fernando Henrique
Cardoso (iFHC) in São Paulo, in partnership with the Centre
for Development and Enterprise (CDE), Johannesburg, and the
New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research (CPR).