Does Public Governance Impact Performance? An Analysis of Higher Education Institutions in Brazil

Abstract

Objective: this study investigates how public governance practices influence the performance of public organizations. Defined as a mix of formal and informal mechanisms shaping decision-making in the public sector and encouraging diverse societal participation, public governance aims to enhance management effectiveness and governmental results. Methods: panel data regression analysis was applied to assess higher education institutions in Brazil across 2017, 2018, and 2021. Student scores in the National Performance Exam (ENADE) and the Performance Difference Indicator (IDD) were used as performance metrics and dependent variables while governance practices and the public governance index were used as independent variables. Results: the data collected at the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) and the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep) revealed a positive correlation between ‘monitoring user satisfaction’ and institutional performance, whereas the public governance index presented unexpected results. Conclusions: this investigation elicits deeper inquiries on the actual impact of public governance on the performance of public organizations, potentially guiding the implementation of governance actions within them

Keywords

• public governance
• performance
• teaching institutions
• enade
• idd