Federalismo cooperativo e política nacional de educação: mito ou realidade?

Abstract

This dissertation has its construction based on scientific research, and intends to answer the following question: do the national curricular bases reveal themselves as a demonstration of a problem of the Brazilian federative asymmetry? Its guiding principle is the following hypothesis: yes, the national curricular bases reveal the progressive tendency of the Brazilian State to centralize public policies, as, for example, in the area of Education, as a response to the problem of federative asymmetry. Its main objective is to understand if the Brazilian State's way of dealing with asymmetry has been to progressively centralize government responses, as well as public policies in the area of Education. As specific objectives, it is proposed to: 1) analyze the relationship between educational policy and the Brazilian federal state; and 2) identify whether cooperative federalism is still preserved in the Brazilian Federal State. To unveil the object of research, it was necessary to provide theoretical support from authors who investigate federalism, public and educational policy and basic education, among which the following stand out: Baracho (1995), Bercovici (2004), Horta (2010), Ramos (2013a, 2013b), Oliveira, R. (2010), Abicalil (2013), Dourado (2010, 2013), Saviani (2014, 2005) and Stefano (2015). It adopts the paradigm of qualitative research, and as instrument for data collection, bibliographic research. This study confirms the hypothesis that guides it, considering that the Union has been moving towards centralism, thus delimiting the field of action of state governments and municipalities. In this sense, it has adopted some mechanisms that confirm this conduct, mainly with regard to the adoption of budgetary containment policies. In analyzing the results, the study concludes that the Union has not developed its actions based on federal cooperation, since, instead of promoting the participation of other entities in the management of problems and contributing to the strengthening of those who do not have adequate conditions to face those problems, that, although local, are in the same federative space, it has presented solutions unilaterally. The research seeks to understand how the Union has been dealing with the problem of asymmetry, and observes a persistent policy of standardized treatment that is extended to all federated entities, although they are not the same. This policy has been manifested, mainly, by the centralism of the Union, where federated entities are not compelled to adapt to national guidelines that, increasingly, limit their roles and their competences. It is in this sense that we can say that cooperative federalism has been secondary. And despite the questioning presented in the title of this dissertation, it is possible to conclude that, in the way that this relationship between cooperative federalism and national education policy has been established, it has been shown to be increasingly distant from “reality” and closer to the "Myth".