Endogamy in the Brazilian Higher Education System: A descriptive analysis

Abstract

This study analyzes how academic endogamy is characterized in the Brazilian higher education system. Employing a descriptive methodology, based on data collected by Capes, we define that a researcher is inbred if he works at the same institution where he obtained his doctorate degree. This article is the first to measure endogamy by higher education institution in Brazil, which makes its results relevant for policy makers and universities. Endogamy occurs on average in 23% of academic hiring positions across the country, however, the results show that the rate of endogamy differs significantly between different types of institutions, areas of knowledge, states and university classification levels. This analysis provides further evidence that endogamy is more likely to occur in established elite research institutions and geographically concentrated in the most populous and developed regions.