Equity-based educational financing and learning gaps: A systematic review of contextual and institutional factors
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Abstract
The relationship between educational financing and equity in learning outcomes is a central theme in the contemporary debate on education policies, especially in contexts where structural inequalities persist, affecting the access to and academic performance of students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. In this scenario, equity-based financing strategies have been promoted as redistributive mechanisms aimed at reducing educational gaps; however, the available empirical evidence shows heterogeneous results regarding their effectiveness. This article aimed to identify the contextual and institutional factors that mediate or moderate the relationship between equity-based financing strategies and the reduction of academic achievement gaps. To this end, a systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA protocol guidelines, through the search and analysis of scientific literature published between 2015 and 2025 in the Scopus database. The synthesis of the evidence revealed that the impact of equity-based educational financing depends on the interaction between contextual factors, such as the socioeconomic composition of the student body, school segregation, and territorial inequalities, and institutional factors related to educational governance, the design of financing mechanisms, and the organizational capacities of schools. In conclusion, equity-based financing can contribute to reducing learning gaps when implemented in educational systems that have institutional mechanisms and contextual conditions capable of transforming additional resources into effective improvements in educational outcomes.
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