Compras Governamentais para o Programa Nacional do Livro Didático: Uma Discussão Sobre a Eficiência do Governo

The current National Schoolbook Program (PNLD) was started in 1985 by Decree 91.542, which brought substantial changes compared to earlier attempted programs, such as which established that the choice of the schoolbook would be made directly by the professor. The basic question this study tries to answer is: could the government, which buys 90% of the production of schoolbook in Brazil, be more cost effective in the execution of PNLD? This study shows that the government brought books from 110 publishers during the period 1998-2006, spending R$ 4.5 billion, but, due to the oligopoly in the book market, only 6 publishers houses, Abril, Santillana, FTD, Saraiva, IBEP, Ediouro e Editora Brasil received R$ 3.893,3 million, corresponding to 87% of total expenditures in schoolbook. The study indicates that this concentration of expenditures in few firms is due to the high expenses of the publishers advertising, influencing the teachers? choices. The study concludes that the government utilizes only partially its procurement power in the accomplishment of the PNLD, since it demands pedagogic quality of the schoolbooks, but did not purchase in the regions where they will be used. If the government did so it would permit the reduction of the distribution and transportation costs and conversely encouraging more competition between publishers and, thus, reducing the books prices. In conclusion, this study infers that the government could be more efficient in the execution of the PNLD if it changes the current procurement rules, establishing new conditions in the acquisitions of didactic books. With this perspective, the government should use in its own benefit the Author?s Copyright Law or adopt new concepts of choosing the schoolbook by the professors, and increasing competition among publishers.