Affirmative action and the choice of schools

Racial and income‐based affirmative action in higher education admissions: Lessons from the Brazilian experience

“…The 2012 quota policy for federal universities in Brazil not only had a mechanical effect on the inclusion of the target audience but also generated incentives for students from the beneficiary groups to compete for places, possibly revealing a repressed demand for higher education (Senkevics & Mello, 2019). Complementing the study by Mello (2023) and using data for a very selective university, Estevan et al. (2019) find an increased likelihood of minority students applying for and getting accepted to more prestigious majors.…”

“…The Brazilian government enacted two significant reforms in the early 2010s: the centralization of the placement system and the dissemination of affirmative action in the country. Now, individuals choose the institution and major while comparing their grades with cutoff scores, while in the previous decentralized system, choices about which institutions a student would apply to had to be made months before the institution-specific admission exam (Mello, 2023). It is unclear, in principle, who would benefit more from this increased access.…”

“…Students, including those who may benefit from affirmative action, have access to information on how competitive admission to all universities in the country is, improving their choices regarding majors and institutions. Mello (2023) answers that and other questions by building on the cross-sectional and time variation of the progressive adoption of both policies and dividing the enrollment effect into three kinds: two for each policy separately and one for its interaction. The benefits from the centralized system accrue disproportionately to students from wealthier families, crowding out low-income groups from the least competitive degrees.…”

“…Now, individuals choose the institution and major while comparing their grades with cutoff scores, while in the previous decentralized system, choices about which institutions a student would apply to had to be made months before the institution‐specific admission exam (Mello, 2023). It is unclear, in principle, who would benefit more from this increased access.…”

“…Mello (2023) answers that and other questions by building on the cross‐sectional and time variation of the progressive adoption of both policies and dividing the enrollment effect into three kinds: two for each policy separately and one for its interaction. The benefits from the centralized system accrue disproportionately to students from wealthier families, crowding out low‐income groups from the least competitive degrees.…”