Title_ Held Back: Explaining the Sluggish Pace of Improvement to Basic Education in Developing Democracies–The Cases of India and Brazil

Author_ Lindsey CARSON, Joanna V. NORONHA & Michael J. TREBILCOCK

Pages 1-46

Abstract_ Despite the widely accepted relationship between qualityprimary education and sustainable, equitable development, two ofthe world’s fastest-growing democracies—India and Brazil—continue to trail their regional and economic peers in basic learningoutcomes. Using a supply and demand framework, this articleidentifies six institutional factors that we hypothesize may havebeen determinative in shaping education outcomes in bothcountries: actual popular demand, availability of information aboutpublic education quality, impact of private school alternatives,financial allocations, incentive structures for educationalpersonnel, and the influence of political institutions on theresponsiveness of public leaders. Our analysis reveals theinterrelationships among these six factors and their connections tobroader economic, political, social, and historical realities in eachcountry. We conclude by identifying central elements of publicaccountability mechanisms that seem to be the most appropriateinstitutional venues to create and maintain the type of sustained,focused public pressure necessary to achieve lasting improvementsto access and quality.

Keywords_ Basic education, India, Brazil, Decentralization and service delivery, Accountability