This presentation will explore the political economy of the implementation of a School Autonomy with Accountability (SAWA) reform in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The research relies on a case study design, and aims at answering the following research questions: Why and how SAWA policies have been implemented in Minas Gerais? What is the theory of change of those policies? What and how different political actors have participated in the implementation of those policies? What is the link between SAWA agenda and the education privatization and the emergence of Global Education Industry and its agendas? Our theoretical framework has been based on the evolutionary mechanisms and drivers for change of the cultural political approach, Kingdon’s multiple streams models of policy analysis, and the concept of theory of change that lie beyond any political reform (Jessop, 2010; Pawson & Tilley, 1997). The study draws on a qualitative analysis of a combination of data sources, including secondary sources (policy texts, parliamentary debates, academic literature, legislation) and semi-structured interviews with more than 20 key informants. The selection of informants has followed a non-stratified strategy (Tansey, 2007) and includes politicians, labour unions, representatives from philanthropic organizations, designers of the external test, and staff of the Secretary of Education as well as other educational authorities. The sample of key informants has followed a non-stratified strategy (Tansey, 2007). The sample of interviewees includes more than 20 key informants, including politicians, labour unions, philanthropic organizations, designers of the external tests, and administration and Secretary of Education staff. The main results of the research show that accountability reforms in Brazil have experimented an exponential growth and affect a growing number of States. Specifically, in Minas Gerais, it is possible to identify three different periods of accountability reform: the implementation of the reform under austerity principles (2003-2008); the consolidation of a high-stakes regime under managerial reforms (2008-2015); and the reversal of the hard SAWA regime based both on economic and ideological factors (2015-2018). This chronology involves an evolution of the theory of change orienting the design of SAWA reforms – which evolve from a low- to a high-stakes approach. The research sheds light also on the wide range of agents that have actively participated in the policy process – including both local actors (politicians, labour unions, academic researchers, philanthropic organizations) and global agents (international organizations). Finally, the study explores the intersection between the accountability, the privatization, and the global education industry agendas.

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