[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-216837-en":3,"doc-seo-216837-105":31,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":97},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":28,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":29,"read_time":30},216837,2336475104042,"Tawan","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/22000c4c32af1715be0?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786537525561427321",8,"Research & Report","The Effects of Decentralization on Schooling - Evidence From the Sao Paulo State’s Education Reform","Decentralization of public service delivery is a key governance reform across many developing countries, with education often devolved to lower-level governments. This working paper evaluates how the decentralization reform in Brazil’s State of São Paulo affected primary schools’ performance and resource indicators using exclusive longitudinal data. Identification issues are addressed through reform-specific features and available data. Results show higher dropout and failure rates across primary grades alongside improvements in several school resources; the early-grade deterioration is linked to expanded access, with stronger adverse distributive effects in rural and poor areas.","Department of Economics-FEA/USP  \nThe Effects of Decentralization on Schooling: Evidence From the Sao Paulo State’s Education Reform  \nRICARDO A . MADEIRA  \nWORKING PAPER SERIES  \nNº  \n2012-26  \nDEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS, FEA-USP  \nWORKING PAPER Nº 2012-26  \nThe Effects of Decentralization on Schooling: Evidence from the Sao Paulo State's Education Reform  \nRicardo A. Madeira ([rmadeira@usp.br](rmadeira@usp.br))  \nAbstract:  \nDecentralization of the delivery of public services provision is an important governance reform recently witnessed in many developing countries. Public education has been one of the key public services devolved to lower level governments. This paper uses an exclusive and rich longitudinal data on primary schools to evaluate the effects of the decentralization reform implemented on the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on several indicators of school performance and school resources. Specific aspects of the Sao Paulo’s State education reform combined with the data available allow me to deal with some common identification issues encountered by previous empirical studies on the subject. I find conflicting results for different school quality measures; decentralization increased dropout rates and failure rates across all primary school grades but improved several school resources. Further empirical investigation suggests that the worsening of these school performance indicators for the two first grades was partially driven by the democratization of the school access promoted by the education reform. Evaluation of the distributive outcome of the reform suggests that its effects were more perverse for schools located on rural and poor areas. I also find evidence that decentralization widened the gap between the “good” and “bad” schools. Moreover, I find no evidence that the municipalities’ administrative experience affected the program’s outcome.  \nKeywords: Decentralization of Public Services, Education Economics, School Quality and Program Evaluation  \nJEL Codes: I2, I28, H43, H7, C21  \nThe E§ects of Decentralization on Schooling: Evidence From the Sao Paulo Stateís Education Reform  \nRicardo Madeira  \nUniversity of S„o Paulo  \nSeptember 2012  \nAbstract  \nDecentralization of the delivery of public services provision is an important governance reform recently witnessed in many developing countries. Public education has been one of the key public services devolved to lower level governments. This paper uses an exclusive and rich longitudinal data on primary schools to evaluate the e§ects of the decentralization reform implemented on the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on several indicators of school performance and school resources. SpeciÖc aspects of the Sao Pauloís State education reform combined with the data available allow me to deal with some common identiÖcation issues encountered by previous empirical studies on the subject. I Önd conáicting results for di§erent school quality measures; decentralization increased dropout rates and failure rates across all primary school grades but improved several school resources. Further empirical investigation suggests that the worsening of these school performance indicators for the two Örst grades was partially driven by the democratization of the school access promoted by the education reform. Evaluation of the distributive outcome of the reform suggests that its e§ects were more perverse for schools located on rural and poor areas. I also Önd evidence that decentralization widened the gap between the ìgoodî and ìbadî schools. Moreover, I Önd no evidence that the municipalitiesíadministrative experience a§ected the programís outcome.  \nKeywords: Decentralization of Public Services, Education Economics, School Quality and Program Evaluation.  \nJEL ClassiÖcations: I2, I28, H43, H7 and C21  \n􀀃 Department of Economics, Boston University. 270 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA 02215, USA; e-mail: [rmadeira@bu.edu](rmadeira@bu.edu. I thank)[. I thank](rmadeira@bu.edu. I thank) Dilip Mookhe","cbCaipZZJiy6mLi0","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaipZZJiy6mLi0","pdf",675401,2,1,48,"English","en",105,"# Abstract\n# Introduction\n## Rationale for decentralization reforms\n## Potential obstacles and elite capture","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper study about decentralization and schooling?\",\"answer\":\"It studies how the decentralization reform in São Paulo, Brazil, affected primary schools’ performance and resources.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper handle identification issues in prior empirical studies?\",\"answer\":\"It leverages specific aspects of the São Paulo state education reform combined with the data to address common identification concerns.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the main findings on school performance and resources?\",\"answer\":\"Decentralization increased dropout and failure rates across primary grades while improving several school resource measures, with worse distributive outcomes for rural and poor schools.\"}]","The Effects of Decentralization on Schooling - Evidence From the Sao Paulo State’s Education Reform | PDF",1788827934,121,{"code":4,"msg":32,"data":33},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":34,"title":13,"keywords":35,"description":14,"schema_data":36,"social_meta":92,"head_meta":94,"extra_data":96,"updated_unix":29},"the-effects-of-decentralization-on-schooling-evidence-from-the-sao-paulo-states-education-reform","",{"@graph":37,"@context":91},[38,54,74],{"@type":39,"itemListElement":40},"BreadcrumbList",[41,45,48,51],{"item":42,"name":43,"@type":44,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":46,"name":47,"@type":44,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":44,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":44,"position":53},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-effects-of-decentralization-on-schooling-evidence-from-the-sao-paulo-states-education-reform/216837/",4,{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":55,"image":56,"author":61,"headline":13,"publisher":63,"fileFormat":66,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":67,"datePublished":68,"encodingFormat":66,"isAccessibleForFree":69,"interactionStatistic":70},"DigitalDocument",{"url":57,"@type":58,"width":59,"height":60},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-effects-of-decentralization-on-schooling-evidence-from-the-sao-paulo-states-education-reform/216837.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":9,"@type":62},"Person",{"url":42,"name":64,"@type":65},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-11","2026-09-08",true,{"@type":71,"interactionType":72,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":73},"ViewAction",{"@type":75,"mainEntity":76},"FAQPage",[77,83,87],{"name":78,"@type":79,"acceptedAnswer":80},"What does the paper study about decentralization and schooling?","Question",{"text":81,"@type":82},"It studies how the decentralization reform in São Paulo, Brazil, affected primary schools’ performance and resources.","Answer",{"name":84,"@type":79,"acceptedAnswer":85},"How does the paper handle identification issues in prior empirical studies?",{"text":86,"@type":82},"It leverages specific aspects of the São Paulo state education reform combined with the data to address common identification concerns.",{"name":88,"@type":79,"acceptedAnswer":89},"What are the main findings on school performance and resources?",{"text":90,"@type":82},"Decentralization increased dropout and failure rates across primary grades while improving several school resource measures, with worse distributive outcomes for rural and poor schools.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":52,"og:type":93,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":64,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":95,"canonical":52},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":25},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":98},[99,103,107,111,116,121,126,129,134,137,141],{"id":21,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":104,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":106},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":53,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":113,"show_sort_weight":114,"slug":115},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":118,"show_sort_weight":119,"slug":120},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":122,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":123,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":125},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":128},30,"research-report",{"id":130,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":131,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":133},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":132,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":135,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":136},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":138,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":139,"show_sort_weight":138,"slug":140},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":142,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":143,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":144},19,"General","general"]