Pinto, Heverton Eustáquio2026-01-222026-01-222025COSTA, Regina de Oliveira Pereira. A defensoria pública de Goiás e seu papel na promoção da justiça social: limites estruturais e impactos regionais. Goiânia (GO), 2025. 86 f. Dissertação (Mestrado Profissional em Desenvolvimento Regional) - Centro Universitário Alves Faria, 2025http://repositorio.unialfa.com.br/handle/123456789/730The Public Defender’s Office, an institution essential to the jurisdictional function of the Brazilian State, plays a central role in promoting access to justice and defending fundamental rights, especially among socially vulnerable groups. In the State of Goiás, its performance assumes strategic relevance in light of the territorial and socioeconomic inequalities that shape regional development. This study analyzes the relationship between the territorial distribution of the Public Defender’s Office of the State of Goiás (DPE-GO) and social indicators of human development and social vulnerability, assessing the implications of this pattern for access to justice and the reduction of regional inequalities. The research adopted a quali-quantitative approach, with a documentary, statistical, and comparative design, using secondary data from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA) for the years 2000, 2010, and 2024. The Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI), the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), and the institutional presence of the DPEGO in municipalities of Goiás were analyzed, applying descriptive statistics and the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results indicate a recent institutional expansion of the Public Defender’s Office in Goiás, with growth in the number of services provided and itinerant programs. However, the comparative analysis revealed that the territorial distribution of the DPE-GO remains concentrated in municipalities with better socioeconomic indicators, while more vulnerable regions continue to have limited or nonexistent coverage. Correlations between institutional presence, MHDI, and SVI were weak but consistent throughout the analyzed period. It is concluded that, despite institutional advances, structural limitations persist in achieving the universalization of access to justice in the territory of Goiás, highlighting the need for policies of territorial expansion and institutional redistribution guided by criteria of social vulnerability and human development.ptAcesso à justiçaDireitos fundamentaisDefensoria Pública do Estado de Goiás (DPE-GO)Vulnerabilidade social