Title: Education costs in Brazil: analysis of macroeconomic variables

Authors: Mariana Planells Gutiérrez; Simone Bernardes Voese; Cicero Aparecido Bezerra; Marcia Maria Dos Santos Bortolocci Espejo

Addresses: Universidade Federal do Parana, P.O. Box 82590-300, Av. Prefeito Lothário Meissner, 668-794, Jardim Botânico, Brazil ' Universidade Federal do Parana, P.O. Box 82590-300, Av. Prefeito Lothário Meissner, 668-794, Jardim Botânico, Brazil ' Universidade Federal do Parana, P.O. Box 82590-300, Av. Prefeito Lothário Meissner, 668-794, Jardim Botânico, Brazil ' Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, P.O. Box 79070-900, Av. Costa e Silva, Cidade Universitária, Pioneiros, Campo Grande, Brazil

Abstract: This article is meant to analyse the key macroeconomic variables that affect higher education costs in Brazil and to provide an overview of the present status of education in that country. Quantitative indicators regarding population, education, employment and economy, provided by public database bodies such as MEC, IBGE, OECD and WEF were used. Statistical tools, such as principal component analysis, simple regression and clusters analysis, were carried out. Results indicate a strong relationship between the number of public higher education institutions (HEI) and number of people who attend them. As a result of the main components analysis, 15 variables were reduced to three principal components that explain 89.109% of the total variance. Finally, as a result of the cluster analysis, four different clusters can be verified, with divergent situations identified between the four aggrupation of Brazilian states.

Keywords: education costs; higher education institutions; HEI; human capital theory; endogenous growth theory.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEED.2019.100660

International Journal of Education Economics and Development, 2019 Vol.10 No.3, pp.235 - 257

Accepted: 30 Oct 2018
Published online: 06 Jul 2019 *

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