Vieira, Diego Mota2025-01-232022https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14135/1646This work investigates the influence of knowledge and policy learning on the institutional dynamics of public policies. The literature indicates the need to advance theoretical and methodological knowledge about learning and to expand the understanding of the role of science and policy analysis in the policy process. This work proposes to advance this debate, arguing that policy change is not the only variable for the apprehension of policy learning and that the concept of learning needs to capture other possibilities of knowledge use and learning, which goes beyond policy belief’s change. To this end, we promote a dialogue between the Advocacy Coalition Framework, the theory of gradual change and approaches that discuss the use of knowledge and propose different forms of learning, based on the context of decisionmaking. Based on the theoretical discussion, we conduct an empirical application of the proposed model, in the analysis of the process of formulation and implementation of the higher education quality assurance policy, in Brazil, from 2003 to 2015. Therefore, the objective of this work is to explain how knowledge and policy learning influenced the institutional dynamics of the National System of Evaluation of Higher Education, contributing to promote or avoid changes during its implementation process. Although there is a special interest in the learning mechanism, the other causal mechanisms pointed out in the support theories are explored through a qualitative research approach. The main method used was the process tracing, combined with the case study. In addition, a codification was developed to identify and characterize the coalitions that acted in the policy subsystem. The main sources of data were documentary and bibliographic research, and interviews with key actors in the process. Three potential coalitions that acted to influence the policy were identified. During the policy formulation, it was possible to observe the performance of the governing coalition, called in this work of Emancipatory Educators and the coalition of Regulated Reformists, coalitions that, although they shared different belief systems, were able to produce the consensus necessary for the approval of the new policy. In a second moment, it was observed that the government went into crisis with some policy beliefs and preferences defended by the coalition of Emancipatory Educators, which led to the emergence of a new coalition, composed of the government bodies involved in the policy implementation, and which was called in this work of Pragmatic Implementers. The results evidenced three of the four types of learning pointed out in the support literature. During the policy formulation, learning in bargaining was an important mechanism for the approval of the new law’s final text. Contrary to what was expected, the change of the governing coalition, from Fernando Henrique’s government to Lula’s administration, was not enough to cause an institutional rupture. During the policy implementation, it was also observed the occurrence of epistemic learning and learning in the hierarchy, important mechanisms to sustain changes, such as the creation and defense of quality indicators, or avoid them, such as maintaining the confidentiality of the students' evaluation score, despite the constant pressures for its insertion in their academic transcripts. The results confirmed that observing the institutional dynamics, considering policy change and stasis and the uses of knowledge as evidence of learning contribute to broaden the scope of investigations on the role of policy learning in the policy process.Documento textualporAcesso abertoAprendizado em políticas públicasDinâmica institucionalSistema Nacional de Avaliação de Educação Superior (Brasil)Tese