Article



Dados vol. 58 n. 3 Rio de Janeiro jul./set. 2015

Equity in Higher Education in Brazil: A Multinomial Analysis of the Access to Entry Public Policies

Rossetto, Cristina B. de Souza - Gonçalves, Flávio de Oliveira

Abstract

This article evaluates the coherency of quota politics, ProUni and FIES as drivers of equity in access to higher learning, taking the concept of equality of opportunity as a premise. These policies have in common the fact that they are targeted at specific parcels of the total number of students. In the private education system, which encompasses 75% of all students, 18% have access to public policies that promote entry. The public system offers free education and approximately 10% of all students benefited from quotas. According to the criterion of equality of opportunity, policies must compensate people for limitations that are beyond their own capabilities. Descriptive statistics and a multinomial logit model using microdata from the 2008 and 2010 Enade survey provide evidence that the system of access does not offer the same benefits to people in equal standing. Thus, the incoherence of the incentives offered by public policy is unfavorable for private system students. The article concludes with a discussion of possible reforms.

Keywords: higher education, equality of opportunities, FIES, ProUni, quotas

DOI: 10.1590/00115258201559

Full text

Equity in Higher Education in Brazil: A Multinomial Analysis of the Access to Entry Public Policies