SOCIAL PROTECTION STRUCTURE IN PERIODS OF CRISIS: THE CASES OF ARGENTINA AND BRAZIL IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (2020-2021)

The objective of the article is to understand the experience of Argentina and Brazil in terms of social protection; specifically, social assistance and the maintenance of income and employment of formal workers during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). The research was based on a multiple-case design that included various analysis techniques and sources of information-both qualitative and quantitative. The results of the article show that, in Argentina, a protection strategy towards formal workers prevailed over social assistance policies; and, in Brazil, social assistance policies stood out, within the framework of deregulatory strategies for formal work. In cases, the fragmentation and segmentation of the social protection system was evident, which reaffirms the historical legacies of the systems.