Opinion – Michael França: The biggest effect of the quota policy is yet to come

by

Not infrequently, the Brazilian public debate on some topics is limited. The one related to the Quota Law usually reflects this. There is significant emphasis on its operation and on the performance of quota holders. However, little attention is still given to its broad direct and indirect socioeconomic impact.

It is known that for those born into low-income families, education represents one of the best paths to social mobility. This fact is even more salient in the Brazilian context, since the average return on investing in higher education here remains very high.

However, until a few years ago, public universities were a space appropriated precisely by those with higher incomes. This was due to the well-known fact that college entrance exam scores are usually associated with the socioeconomic origin of candidates.

Given the precarious public education and the State’s failure to generate greater equalization of opportunities, those born into a high-income family tend to have better investments. Thus, an unrestricted selection process treats those born in disadvantaged environments unfairly.

This context meant that Brazilian public universities were dominated by elites. Quotas changed this scenario. To a certain extent, the policy brought greater legitimacy to the selection processes by seeking to place those who had equivalent investments in competition. This has contributed to giving talented young people a better chance of thriving regardless of their socioeconomic background.

Several studies show that the Law was successful in the process of including the most disadvantaged without any loss of quality in universities. In a recent study, researchers from Stanford University showed that the gains in income and in the quality of education of quota students outweighs the loss of those who were not selected in the selection process at a federal university (Affirmative Action in Centralized College Admission Systems: Evidence from Brazil , 2021).

At the same time, the Law contributed to the reduction of social and racial segregation. This represents a significant advance for a country in which deep inequality affects the way in which relations with others are carried out. The interaction between different social classes is very low in Brazil and this fact influences the way the country is thought of.

In the context of Colombia, for example, a study found that the increased participation of low-income students at an elite university made wealthier students have more accurate perceptions of income distribution and support progressive redistribution (The Impact of Diversity). on Perceptions of Income Distribution and Preferences for Redistribution, 2022).

It is important to remember that the adoption of a criterion to favor blacks in the reservation of places scared those who believed they were living in a racial democracy. The effervescent debate that ensued contributed to the racial issue coming to the fore. Black movements have grown and are becoming an increasingly influential force on the national stage.

Thousands of young people who had a disadvantaged background are leaving universities and becoming powerful voices in the biased Brazilian public debate. Imposed narratives are being shaken and there is a possibility that there will be significant repercussions on policy formulation in the not too distant future.

The tendency is that it is increasingly difficult to ignore the deep social injustices. A country that claimed to be proud of its miscegenation, but which has always allocated various privileges to its elites, will be progressively invited to rethink its concepts.

* The text is a tribute to the song “Insurrection” by The Souljazz Orchestra.

You May Also Like

Recommended for you