Educational growth: An analysis of distribution among Brazilian municipalities

Abstract

This study analyzes the distribution of education in terms of quality and quantity in Brazilian municipalities during the first decade of 2000 to investigate how educational improvement was distributed to municipalities with different levels of income and education. Given the considerable educational heterogeneity and the lack of studies at the municipal level, the aim is to contribute to this debate by (1) applying the pro‐poor growth measurement methodology to indicators of educational quantity and quality (2) using the Brazilian municipalities as units of analysis, and (3) conducting estimations using the Growth Incidence Curve. The results indicate that there was an improvement in the quantity and quality of education and that, on average, educational growth can be considered pro‐poor.