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Environmental degradation is threatening the provision of ecosystem services (IPBES, 2019). In an attempt to reverse this degradation trend, the use of economic incentives has increasingly gained prominence in environmental policy. In particular, payments for ecosystem services (PES), a type of economic incentive in which ecosystem services providers voluntarily receive a payment in exchange for the provision of ecosystem services, has increasingly gained relevance worldwide (Salzman et al., 2018). PES aim to enhance environmental conservation by altering the economic costs or benefits associated with targeted pro-environmental actions. However, a large amount of empirical evidence shows that PES, like other economic incentives, could potentially crowd out (or crowd in) intrinsic motivations for environmental conservation, which may sometimes translate into unexpected undesirable overall effects (for reviews, see Bowles and Polania-Reyes, 2012; Rode et al., 2015). Up to date, the conditions under which PES, and economic incentives in general, induce such motivational crowding effects are still not fully understood. In analyzing these effects, economic theory has often taken for granted non-monetary factors of economic incentives because they do not involve changes in prices or incomes. However, experimental evidence show that such factors could be relevant to preventing crowding-out effects or even creating crowding-in effects (e.g., see Ariely et al., 2009; Heyman and Ariely, 2004). In the context of PES, a large proportion of the experimental literature has focused on studying the effect of design features related to the monetary elements of these programs (e.g., Kerr et al., 2012; Kolinjivadi et al., 2019; Midler et al., 2015; Moros et al., 2019; Narloch et al., 2012), while fewer experimental studies have focused on non-monetary factors such as the degree of participation in the design or implementation process (e.g., Jack, 2009; Moros et al., 2019; Vollan, 2008). The present thesis contributes to this line of literature by examining whether PES could be more or less effective when specific non-monetary factors are adjusted in PES design or implementation. This thesis comprises an introductory chapter (Chapter 1) and a concluding chapter (Chapter 5) that serve as an overview of the thesis, together with three research articles (Chapters 2, 3 and 4). In each of the research articles belonging to this thesis, a specific non-monetary factor in the design or implementation context of PES is analyzed. Prior versions of the research articles in chapters 2-4 have been published as working papers on SSRN. Their content is briefly summarized below. Chapter 2 is entitled “Beyond a Market Discourse: Is Framing a Solution to Avoid Motivational Crowding-Out in Payments for Ecosystem Services?” and is co-authored by S. Engel and E. Midler. The goal of this article is to examine the role of the framing of a PES policy in preventing motivational crowding effects. In particular, it focusses on the short- and long-term effects of two dimensions of framing on: 1) using different terms to denote the payment, and 2) emphasizing different types of ecosystem services obtained from nature to motivate its conservation. This article analyses this topic with a lab-in-the-field experiment conducted with 157 farmers from a Colombian municipality. The findings of this article suggest that the framing of a policy could be a rather inexpensive tool to mitigate motivational crowding effects. In particular, a framing that acknowledges forest conservation as an achievement and a framing that emphasizes the cultural ecosystem services obtained from forest results in better conservation outcomes relative to a control framing. Chapter 3 is entitled “Who is Benefiting Downstream? Experimental Evidence on the Relevance of Upstream-Downstream Geographic Distance for Water Provision.” and is co-authored by S. Engel, E. Midler and T. Vorlaufer. The goal of this article is to study the relevance of the social distance between ecosystem service providers and beneficiaries for the short- and long-term motivational crowding effects of a PES policy. This article analyses this topic with a lab-in-the-field experiment in which the salience of social identity is defined by the real geographical distance between ecosystem service providers and beneficiaries, rather than being artificially induced. In particular, the experiment involves 60 rural farmers from a Colombian municipality, whose water provision decisions affected passive downstream beneficiaries in either the same municipality or the capital city of Bogotá. The findings suggest that although sharing a closer place identity with downstream beneficiaries is relevant to determine baseline water provision, it does not affect average motivational crowding effects in the short and long term. Nonetheless, predictions from the econometric analysis of the heterogeneous treatment effects suggest that emphasizing the benefits provided to people with whom upstream providers feel more socially identified could mitigate long-term crowding-out effects on providers with weak levels of place identification, without compromising the short-term effectiveness on farmers with a strong place identity and already high provisioning levels. Therefore, in the absence of a well-defined group of downstream beneficiaries financing a PES program, it could be more effective to emphasize local benefits, rather than the general benefits to society. Chapter 4 is entitled “Behavioral Spillovers from Mixing Conservation Policies in Neighboring Areas: An Experimental Analysis on Fairness Perceptions toward Unequal Policies.” and is co-authored by S. Engel and E. Midler. The goal of this article is to analyze the impact of fairness concerns on the effectiveness of a policy that is implemented in an unequal institutional context. In particular, it compares the effectiveness of implementing a specific economic incentive when a monetary reward is being implemented in a neighboring area, to the effectiveness of implementing the same economic incentive over the entire area. This article analyses this topic with a lab-in-the-field experiment conducted with 276 farmers from a Colombian municipality. In particular, the treatment recreated three institutional contexts: 1) a high priority area where PES are implemented next to a low priority area that is excluded from PES, 2) a protected area with land-use restrictions surrounded by a buffer area where PES are implemented, and 3) a protected area where PES are implemented on top of land-use restrictions, surrounded by a buffer area with only PES. Surprisingly, the findings show that fairness concerns do not increase with the level of inequality between neighbors. Although PES exclusion and simultaneously implementing PES inside and outside a protected area tend to increase fairness concerns and reduce forest conservation relative to the control groups, implementing PES only in the buffer area of a protected area decreases fairness concerns and increases forest conservation by those within the protected area, even after the policies are removed. Overall, this article stresses the relevance of considering the institutional context and context-specific fairness perceptions as a relevant factor when defining the targeting criteria for the implementation of environmental policies.

With the rapid development of mobile devices technology, they are becoming very popular and a part of our everyday lives. These devices, which are equipped with wireless radios, such as cellular and WiFi radios, affect almost every aspect of our lives. People use smartphone and tablets to access the Internet, watch videos, chat with their friends, and etc. The wireless connections that these devices provide is more convenient than the wired connections. However, there are two main challenges in wireless networks: error-prone wireless links and network resources limitation. Network coding is widely used to provide reliable data transmission and to use the network resources efficiently. Network coding is a technique in which the original packets are mixed together using algebraic operations. In this dissertation, we study the applications of network coding in making the wireless transmissions robust against transmission errors and in efficient resource management. In many types of data, the importance of different parts of the data are different. For instance, in the case of numeric data, the importance of the data decreases from the most significant to the least significant bit. Also, in multi-layer videos, the importance of the packets in different layers of the videos are not the same. We propose novel data transmission methods in wireless networks that considers the unequal importance of the different parts of the data. In order to provide robust data transmissions and use the limited resources efficiently, we use random linear network coding technique, which is a type of network coding. In the first part of this dissertation, we study the application of network coding in resource management. In order to use the the limited storage of cache nodes efficiently, we propose to use triangular network coding for content distribution. We also design a scalable video-on-demand system, which uses helper nodes and network coding to provide users with their desired video quality. In the second part, we investigate the application of network coding in providing robust wireless transmissions. We propose symbol-level network coding, in which each packet is partitioned to symbols with different importance. We also propose a method that uses network coding to make multi-layer videos robust against transmission errors. / Computer and Information Science

Plant gene families organized as linked clusters are capable of evolving by a process of unequal crossing-over. This results in the formation of chimeric genes that may impart a novel function. However, the frequency and functional consequences of these unequal cross-over events are poorly characterized. Plant disease resistance genes (R genes) genes are frequently organized as gene clusters. In this study, I constructed an elaborately designed reconfigurable synthetic RPP1 (for resistance to Paranospora parasitica) gene cluster (synthRPP1) to model R gene evolution by meiotic recombination. This experimental design utilizes gain-of-luciferase phenotype (luc+) to identify and isolate recombinant R genes and uses two alternatively marked alleles to distinguish and measure different types of meiotic recombination (intra- vs. inter-chromosomal). Two putative single copy transgenic plants containing the synthRPP1 gene cluster were generated. These synthRPP1 gene clusters were reconfigured in vivo by two kinds of site-specific recombination systems (CRE/Lox, FLP/FRT) to generate two alternative versions of the synthRPP1 gene clusters in vivo. These lines, as well as others being developed, will be used in future genetic crosses to identify and characterize plants expressing chimeric RPP1 genes. My second area of research was to use a previously developed synthetic RBCSB gene cluster (synthRBCSB) gene cluster to investigate the relative frequency of meiotic unequal crossing over between paralogous genes located on either homologous chromosomes (homozygous lines) or sister chromatids (hemizygous lines). In contrast to published somatic recombination frequencies using a different reporter gene system, no statistically significant difference of meiotic unequal crossing over was observed between homo- and hemi-zygous synthRBCSB lines. This result suggests that meiotic unequal crossing-over between paralogs located on homologous chromosomes occurs at about the same frequency as paralogs located on sister chromatids. To investigate the rate of somatic recombination in synthRBCSB lines, a QRT-PCR method was developed to estimate the frequency of somatic recombination. Preliminary results suggest that the somatic recombination frequency was about 10,000 fold higher than meiotic recombination in the same generation. Moreover, two of five cloned chimeric genes that formed by somatic recombination indicated a different distribution of resolution sites than those observed in meiotic recombination. This finding suggests there are significant differences in both the frequency and character of somatic versus meiotic unequal crossing-over between paralogous genes in Arabidopsis. / Ph. D.

La présente recherche analyse la mise en œuvre de la politique d’encouragement à l’achat de la carte d’assurance-maladie publique au Vietnam. Pour ce faire, le premier axe de recherche consiste à faire un état des lieux du système vietnamien d’assurance-maladie et de l’utilisation de la carte d’assurance-maladie par les différentes catégories socio-professionnelles. Le deuxième axe de recherche consiste à élucider la question de savoir si ce programme gouvernemental est porteur d’ambiguïtés. Il s’agit là d’une analyse documentaire de la présente politique elle-même. Le troisième consiste à éclaircir les logiques différentes, à décrire les conflits et les tensions entre les groupes d’intérêts divers, à savoir : l’État, les médecins, les professionnels de l’assurance-maladie et les groupes sociaux, surtout les acteurs visés par la politique, qui n’ont pas encore la carte d’assurance-maladie. Le dernier axe de recherche essaie de comprendre comment et dans quelles mesures ces divers acteurs pourraient entrer en négociation pour en arriver à des compromis et à la réalisation de ladite politique. À partir de cette analyse, nous comprendrions mieux quel en serait le mode de régulation et/ou de gouvernance à l’heure actuelle le mieux adapté à la situation vietnamienne. En termes d’approche méthodologique, la présente recherche propose tout d’abord une analyse « bottom-up » des conflits et des tensions à partir de la définition de l’action des acteurs les plus bas du système d’acteurs que sont les groupes sociaux non-bénéficiaires de la carte d’assurance-maladie publique. Ainsi, leurs besoins, leurs attentes, leurs objectifs, leurs moyens et leur rationalité, ou plutôt leur logique, nous guident dans la détermination des logiques d’achat de ce produit public. À partir de là, nous analysons les interactions entre ceux-ci et d’autres acteurs comme l’État, les médecins, les professionnels de l’assurance-maladie, qui consistent à construire le système d’assurance-maladie du Vietnam. Cette approche méthodologique nous permet de faire des études qualitatives et quantitatives au travers des échantillonnages représentant les groupes d’intérêts divers relatifs à cette politique d’universalisation et d’encouragement à l’achat volontaire de la carte d’assurance-maladie publique.La recherche utilise des outils méthodologiques tels que des entretiens approfondis auprès des autorités centrales et locales en matière d’assurance-maladie publique, des médecins, des professionnels de l’assurance-maladie et des groupes sociaux qui se divisent en deux sous-groupes : les détenteurs de la carte d’assurance-maladie publique et ceux qui n’ont pas adhéré à cette offre. Un autre outil méthodologique est l’observation participante sur des espaces sociaux où se trouve une condensation des interactions, par exemple : au cabinet de consultation d’un médecin, au guichet de remboursement des frais d’hospitalisation…C’est dans ces espaces sociaux que les conflits et/ou tensions se défrichent aussi d’une manière « spontanée » et nous aident dans leur découverte. / The study aims at examining the implementation process of public health insurance card in Vietnam. In order to accomplish the research aim, the study has five research objectives. First, this study analyzes the situation of the health insurance system in Vietnam, as well as the use of health insurance card among different population groups with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Second, the study examines the transparency of the health insurance card promotion run by the government. Literature review was conducted to address this objective. Third, stemming from the existing conflicts among different stakeholders, the study investigates motivations and actions of the stakeholders, including: governors, physicians, health insurance staff, and target beneficiaries. Target beneficiaries include people without health insurance. Fourth, the study explores the social negotiation strategies used by different stakeholders in order to implement health insurance. Last but not least, the study recommends strategies for health insurance regulation and management tailored to the Vietnamese context. Regarding methodology, this study adopts the bottom-up approach to investigate social conflicts by identifying action logic of the lowest group in the social hierarchy. The lowest group refers to the most disadvantaged group without public health insurance. The study examines needs, motivations, expectations, objectives, means, and strategies of people in this group which lead to their decision-making (purchasing voluntary health insurance or not). Furthermore, the study analyzes social interactions of stakeholders in this disadvantaged group, as well as their interactions with other stakeholders, such as governors, physicians, and health insurance staff. These interactions construct the health insurance system in Vietnam. Adopting this approach, the researcher applies both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study sample is representative of different social groups regarding policies of voluntary health insurance. The study applies different data collection methods. First, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with: (1) representatives of health insurance managers at different levels, from central to local level; (2) physicians; (3) health insurance staff; (4) people using public health insurance; and (5) people not using public health insurance. Second, the researcher conducted participant observation in appropriate settings, such as health clinics, health insurance offices, etc. These settings exposed social conflicts among different stakeholders inherently. Combining different data collection methods yields fruitful results for the study.

In order to gather information more efficiently, wireless sensor networks are partitioned into clusters. The most of the proposed clustering algorithms do not consider the location of the base station. This situation causes hot spots problem in multi-hop wireless sensor networks. Unequal clustering mechanisms, which are designed by considering the base station location, solve this problem. In this thesis, we propose a fuzzy unequal clustering algorithm (EAUCF) which aims to prolong the lifetime of wireless sensor networks. EAUCF adjusts the cluster-head radius considering the residual energy and the distance to the base station parameters of the sensor nodes. This helps decreasing the intra-cluster work of the sensor nodes which are closer to the base station or have lower battery level. We utilize fuzzy logic for handling the uncertainties in cluster-head radius estimation. We compare our algorithm with some popular algorithms in literature, namely LEACH, CHEF and EEUC, according to First Node Dies (FND), Half of the Nodes Alive (HNA) and energy-efficiency metrics. Our simulation results show that EAUCF performs better than other algorithms in most of the cases considering FND, HNA and energy-efficiency. Therefore, our proposed algorithm is a stable and energy-efficient clustering algorithm.

This thesis proposes a complete framework of an end-to-end transmission of stereo video to mobile devices using DVB-H. Block diagram of the system is presented and operations conducted on the video at each layer are explained. Parameters and methodologies that may make a robust transmission possible are discussed. The transmission performance is analyzed in terms of error robustness under various coding methods, prediction structures, layering and protection strategies for different contents and channel conditions. It also investigates the effect of rate allocation between video quality and protection over robust transmission in erroneous environment. This works provides directive conclusions on the selection of the mentioned parameters and methods.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-08-17T10:47:30Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Alex Tristão de Santana - 2017.pdf: 8067563 bytes, checksum: bfe0b7ad9d80306ab995bb148e780ea9 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-08-17T10:47:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Alex Tristão de Santana - 2017.pdf: 8067563 bytes, checksum: bfe0b7ad9d80306ab995bb148e780ea9 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-17T10:47:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Alex Tristão de Santana - 2017.pdf: 8067563 bytes, checksum: bfe0b7ad9d80306ab995bb148e780ea9 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-04 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The present research aims to understand the roles of the BR-060 in the territorial dynamics of the Cerrado of Goiás and the socio-spatial effects of the different uses of the territory. Under the influence of the territorial modernization process, which contributed to the insertion of the Cerrado into the international division of labor, the road mesh in Goiás has undergone deep transformations since the 1950s, accompanied by the respective restructuring of the economic, political and cultural scopes. In this context, the BR-060 is installed, paved, duplicated and granted in parts towards private initiative, becoming extremely functional to modern economic activities and connected to the world market. This fact contributed to the delimitation of the main problem of this research, which moves to the following direction: how to interpret the connection of a highway to the dynamics of a territory marked by socio-spatial changes resulting from the configuration of a new territorial division of labor intersected by the economic internationalization ? The theoretical basis, the immersion in the territories where the BR-060 passes through and the experience to travel on major highways in the Brazilian Midwest allowed us to construct a theoretical-methodological path synthesized in a fundamental principle: in an interpretation guided by territorial dynamics, it is verified a dialectic relationship between the technical network and the territory, which points to two directions - a dynamic that creates the technical network as an unfolding of action and articulation of territorial actors; and a motion that reveals the way in which the technical network creates the territorial dynamics, impacting the actions in the territory and providing new correlations and connections. Based on this analytical bias, it was possible to safeguard the following thesis: the BR-060 constitutes as a paver axis of the process of internationalization of the Cerrado and reveals the production of a differential circulation in the territory, as well as the phenomenon of competitive integration, which contribute to dynamize productive regions, however reinforcing spatial inequalities and social problems in Goiás territory, visualized from different spatial legends. With quantitative and qualitative methodological procedures that go through the bibliographic research, the collection of secondary data and the accomplishment of the fieldwork, the results achieved move between the description of the landscapes of the research object, the reconstruction of its formation, reading and interpretation of the spatial differentiation of the territories investigated, the dialogue with the impersonations of the territorial actors and the analysis of the BR-060 relation with the internationalization of the Cerrado. The effort of synthesis allowed to emphasize the importance of a geopolitical reading of the technical networks that may be opposed to its naturalization. This investigative stance allowed identifying the active participation of economic actors in the duplication of BR-060 and in the production of differential circulation. Among the main conclusions of the research it is highlighted the advance of the trend of corporate use of the territory in the Cerrado and uneven geographic development, which fragments regions and constitutes new challenges for a sustainable development project, capable of opposing the current concentrating dynamism that results in the metropolization and deepening of social inequalities. / A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo compreender os papéis da BR-060 na dinâmica territorial do Cerrado goiano e os efeitos socioespaciais dos diferentes usos do território. Sob a influência do processo de modernização territorial, que contribuiu para a inserção do Cerrado na divisão internacional do trabalho, a malha viária goiana sofreu profundas transformações desde a década de 1950, acompanhada pela respectiva reestruturação das esferas econômica, política e cultural. Nesse contexto, a BR-060 é implantada, pavimentada, duplicada e concedida, em partes, à iniciativa privada, tornando-se extremamente funcional às atividades econômicas modernas e conectada ao mercado mundial. Tal fato contribuiu para a delimitação de um problema central de pesquisa, que caminha na seguinte direção: como interpretar a relação de uma rodovia à dinâmica de um território marcado por transformações socioespaciais decorrentes da configuração de uma nova divisão territorial do trabalho atravessada pela internacionalização econômica? A fundamentação teórica, a imersão nos territórios servidos pela BR-060 e a experiência de percorrer importantes rodovias no Centro-Oeste brasileiro proporcionou construir um caminho teórico-metodológico sintetizado em um princípio fundamental: em uma interpretação orientada pela dinâmica territorial, constata-se uma relação dialética entre a rede técnica e o território, que aponta duas direções – uma dinâmica que cria a rede técnica como desdobramento da ação e articulação de atores territoriais; e um movimento que revela o modo pelo qual a rede técnica cria a dinâmica territorial, impactando as ações no território e proporcionando novas relações e conexões. Ancorado nesse viés analítico, foi possível defender-se a seguinte tese: a BR-060 constitui-se como um eixo pavimentador do processo de internacionalização do Cerrado e revela a produção de uma circulação diferencial no território, bem como o fenômeno de integração competitiva, que contribuem para dinamizar regiões produtivas, todavia reforçando desigualdades espaciais e problemas sociais no território goiano, visualizados a partir de legendas espaciais distintas. Com procedimentos metodológicos quantitativos e qualitativos que perpassam a pesquisa bibliográfica, a coleta de dados secundários e a realização do trabalho de campo, os resultados alcançados transitam entre a descrição das paisagens do objeto de pesquisa, a reconstrução de sua formação, a leitura e a interpretação da diferenciação espacial dos territórios investigados, o diálogo com as representações dos atores territoriais e a análise da relação da BR-060 com a internacionalização do Cerrado. O esforço de síntese permitiu ressaltar a importância de uma leitura geopolítica das redes técnicas que se contraponha à sua naturalização. Tal postura investigativa permitiu identificar a participação ativa de atores econômicos na duplicação da BR-060 e na produção da circulação diferencial. Entre as principais conclusões da pesquisa ressalta-se o avanço da tendência do uso corporativo do território no Cerrado e do desenvolvimento geográfico desigual, que fragmenta regiões e coloca novos desafios para um projeto de desenvolvimento sustentável, capaz de combater o atual dinamismo concentrador, que resulta na metropolização e no aprofundamento das desigualdades sociais.

Magister Legum - LLM / In Rwanda, Gacaca courts, community-based traditional courts, were alternative solution of dealing with the legacy of genocide after the failure of modern model of justice. In 2012, Gacaca courts were repealed by the Organic Law 04 of 2012. These courts left behind a large number of cases which include, inter alia, suspects ranged within first category, new cases of those who were or will be extradited from ICTR or other countries, thousands of perpetrators tried in absentia while abroad that have the right to file opposition as well as applications for review lodged against their judgements. Today, all of these cases fall under the jurisdiction of ordinary courts along with ordinary criminal and civil litigations. This causes practical challenges of inability of domestic courts to deal with the huge number of cases. Besides, the organic Law 04 of 2012 that terminates Gacaca courts provides mechanisms to deal with other issues related to the end of Gacaca courts. However, these mechanisms result in unequal treatment of genocide suspects and violate the victims’ rights. This may lead to qualify this law as discriminatory and unjust provision. Furthermore, this law remains silent vis-à-vis the issue of enforcement of sentences rendered against those tried in absentia while abroad and the issue of reparations. Despite the mechanisms set forth to deal with all those cases and other issues left behind by Gacaca courts, serious challenges remain. Confronting these challenges needs international cooperation to bring genocide perpetrators to trial, administrative schemes for reparations as well as legal harmonisation to adapt the domestic legislation to the post-Gacaca situation.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 orcioneaparecidavieirapereira.pdf: 1777976 bytes, checksum: 0c6926c6be2bafadedcf891e928227f1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-24 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O cenário educacional brasileiro nas últimas duas décadas foi marcado por diversas transformações, tais como a universalização do ensino fundamental, o crescimento considerável de matrículas no ensino médio e do número de vagas no ensino superior a partir da segunda metade da década de 1990, constituindo a sua recente expansão. Sendo a ampliação do acesso uma das dimensões da democratização da educação, que significa assegurar as possibilidades dos diferentes atores sociais de terem acesso a um bem público específico independentemente de sua origem social, este trabalho objetivou demonstrar se, com a recente expansão da educação superior, em específico da graduação, ocorreu a democratização do acesso de grupos de indivíduos tradicional e historicamente excluídos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva de dados nacionais relativos aos indivíduos que tiveram acesso ou não ao ensino superior no país e suas características sociais, em especial os atributos sociodemográficos, familiares, econômicos e sócio-ocupacionais. Foram selecionadas as informações da Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (Pnad) realizada pelo Instituto Brasileira de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) dos anos de 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007 e 2011 por representarem intervalos de tempo que correspondem a períodos específicos, isto é, ciclos políticos presidenciais – presidente FHC de 1995 a 2002; presidente Lula de 2003 a 2010; e presidente Dilma a partir de 2011. Entre as várias modificações observadas a partir da análise dos aspectos microssociais dos grupos dos graduandos destacam-se: a maior inserção de indivíduos pardos, negros e indígenas; o aumento do número de indivíduos oriundos de famílias com renda familiar per capita de até 1,5 salário mínimo; o crescimento do número de indivíduos com idade superior a 34 anos; e a maior participação dos indivíduos residentes nas Regiões Nordeste, Norte e Centro-Oeste em áreas não-metropolitanas. Como se trata de um fenômeno social que está em pleno curso na atualidade, ainda é cedo afirmar que a democratização do acesso a este nível de ensino efetivamente se concretizou, uma vez que adequações nas políticas educacionais e programas diversos podem e devem acontecer de forma a atingir este objetivo. Porém, os resultados deste estudo mostram que as modificações observadas sinalizam que é este o caminho para a equalização destas oportunidades educacionais. / In the last two decades, starting from the second half of the 90´s the Brazilian educational system was characterized by several changes throughout diverse transformations, such as universalization of the fundamental education, as well as remarkable growth in the secondary school enrollment and increased by the higher education admissions, establishing its recent expansion. Being these expansion of access one of the dimensions (pillars) in the democratization of education as a means of securing the possibility for the different social actors to have the opportunity to gain public education independently of their social origins, this job has the objective to demonstrate how groups of individuals traditionally and historically excludes have been embraced by the democratization of access. The present paper is about a descriptive research from the national data base with relation to individuals who has access or not to the countries higher education and their social characteristics in special to social demographics attributes, families, economies and social occupations. The information have been selected from the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) held by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) for the years 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 they represent time intervals that correspond to specific periods, associated with presidential political cycles - President Fernando Henrique Cardoso from 1995 to 2002; President Lula 2003-2010; and President Dilma 2011. Among the various changes observed from the analysis of micro-social aspects of the graduate groups are: the greater inclusion of individuals pardos (browns), blacks and Indians; Increasing in the number of individuals from families with a per capita family income of up to 1.5 minimum wage; the growing number of individuals over the age of 34; and the greater involvement of people living in the Northeast, North and Midwest in non-metropolitan areas. As this is a social phenomenon that is in full operation today, it is premature to state that the democratization of access to this level of education actually materialized, since adjustments in educational policies and various programs can and should happen in order to achieve this goal. However, the results of this study point out that the observed changes suggest that this is the way to equalize these educational opportunities.