Public policies for higher education in Brazil: systematic review of the Literature by subject area

Abstract

The article aims to understand the main thematic areas examined in the scientific publication scope of Brazilian public policies for higher education, considering the 1996–2023 period. This qualitative study applies a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and employs content analysis. The review encompasses eight thematic areas: 1) Access, Inclusion, and Expansion; 2) Evaluation and Quality; 3) Teacher Training and Employment; 4) Labour Market and Professional Placement; 5) Internationalisation; 6) Retention and Dropout; 7) Scientific Production and Researcher Training; and 8) Technology and Innovation. The results indicate a strong emphasis on the area of “Access, Inclusion, and Expansion,” which accounts for the largest number of studies and shows significant growth over time, particularly between 2013 and 2015. The “Evaluation and Quality” area also proves to be relevant, with a peak in publications in 2017 and a strong interconnection with the access-related domain. In contrast, areas such as “Internationalisation,” “Retention and Dropout,” “Scientific Production and Researcher Training,” and “Technology and Innovation” display a limited number of articles and weaker interconnections, suggesting the existence of research gaps. The study discusses advances and gaps, emphasising the need for future studies with mixed methodologies to deepen research on educational public policies.