This paper analyzes how electoral incentives affected the performance of a major decentralized conditional cash transfer program intended on reducing school dropout rates among children of poor households in Brazil. We show that while this federal program successfully reduced school dropout by 8...

This paper describes the pattern of reductions in mortality across Brazilian municipalities between 1970 and 2000, and analyzes its causes and consequences. It shows that, as in the international context, the relationship between income and life expectancy has shifted consistently in the recent...

The study comprises two volumes on the use of public resources to provide educational services in Brazilian municipalities, by which the policy report (volume 1) presents recommendations, based on the research report (volume 2). This research outlines the policy context, objectives, and...

Despite an increased economic growth following the introduction of the Real Plan in 1994, the poverty rate in Northeast Brazil is not declining at par with that in other regions, aggravated by the fact that the Northeastern illiteracy rate, is twice as high as the national average. This report...

Short-cycle higher education programs (SCPs) can play a central role in skill development and higher education expansion, yet their quality varies greatly within and among countries. In this paper we explore the relationship between programs' practices and inputs (quality determinants) and...