What do the populists see as the fundamental cause of the nation’s ills

The fundamental cause of the nation's ill,  according to Populists, is that the government is being controlled by rich people, that is the reason why business for the rich people is improving, because they all have power and connections, while the lives of ordinary people are not improving.

Explanation:

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for starters, there is the structural trend of rising primary government expenditure as a share of gdp, which reached 36% in 2014, up from 22% in 1991. this increase reflected a political desire to address the poverty and inequality that had gone unaddressed during previous decades. to support the increase, brazil’s government increased taxes on consumption and promoted progress toward labor-market formalization. nonetheless, public investment, particularly in infrastructure, took a hit. in fact, with the exception of the 2005-2008 period, total investment as a share of gdp has remained below 20% since 1991.