ADMINISTRATIVE DECENTRALIZATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN BRAZIL AND PORTUGAL ON FINANCING AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
administrative decentralization; educational funding; public policy; equity; comparative educational management.
The administrative decentralization of public education, though widely promoted as a strategy for state modernization, presents significant challenges regarding its practical effectiveness. This dissertation project proposes a comparative analysis between Brazil and Portugal, focusing on funding mechanisms, resource management, and instruments of oversight and accountability. The study adopts a qualitative and descriptive-comparative quantitative approach, centered on a case study between the Cariri Metropolitan Region (Ceará, Brazil) and the Intermunicipal Community of the West (Portugal), territories that share similar challenges in distinct institutional contexts. The premise is that decentralization requires more than the formal transfer of responsibilities; it demands technical capacity, federative coordination, and active participation from local entities. The theoretical framework is organized into four axes: foundations of decentralization, educational policies, education funding, and educational resource management with emphasis on efficiency, equity, and accountability. Data will be collected through document analysis, bibliographic review, and official public databases. The analysis is expected to identify best practices, limitations, and potentialities in each context, contributing to the improvement of decentralized educational policies. The study also aims to provide conceptual and technical inputs to improve local public education management, focusing on educational justice and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 4 (quality education) and SDG 16 (effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions).