The Massification of Higher Education and Income Distribution. Brazilian Experience from 1995 - 2014

Abstract

Brazil has enjoyed a long period of growth and stability between the years 1995 to 2014. The macroeconomics performance outspread into the social field with an increased education coverage, decline in poverty and inequality. Within the scope of education, an especially important aspect was the massification of higher education. Since in Brazil higher education has the one that has the highest returns, a valid hypothesis would be to suppose that its massification should have contributed to the reduction of inequalities. The data we found does not support this hypothesis. Increased access to higher education seems to have had an opposite effect and soften the tendencies to equality. Every indicator we worked with in this article point to the same direction.

Keywords: Human Capital, Education, Distribution, Gini, Brazil

JEL Classification: I23, I245, I28, J31, D63. I28