2026 - Edition 107 | October 06

With two years of activity, the group continues to monitor and contribute to the improvement of the Institute's projects

Hello reader,

"Design, test, propose and disseminate public policies with an impact on social mobility." This has been the mission of the Institute for Mobility and Social Development (IMDS) since its creation. Throughout its trajectory and through its effort to become the main platform for studies on social mobility in Brazil, the Institute has had the partnership of different actors: government entities, research institutes, public managers and researchers. As part of this process of advancing and improving IMDS, the Technical-Scientific Committee was created in 2024, composed of economists Sérgio Guimarães Ferreira, Cecília Machado and Marcos Lisboa, under the coordination of the research director, Fernando Veloso.

The Technical-Scientific Committee is responsible for supporting the definitions of research projects, acting in their monitoring and improvement, playing an active role in the technical guidance of the Institute. According to the IMDS statute, the Committee is responsible for knowing the technical projects of IMDS; monitoring the development of specific projects, at the request of the board, and being able to suggest researchers to be associated; giving an opinion on methodological treatment and suggesting improvements. In addition, the group can suggest new thematic lines and projects to be developed.

According to Sérgio Guimarães Ferreira, the Technical-Scientific Committee's main function is to offer constructive criticism of the Institute's work. Another function of the group, according to him, is to "provoke and instigate the Institute to try to respond to the crucial questions of our time, those whose answers depend on the error or the success of public policy formulation strategies".

For Cecília Machado, these years of IMDS activity show that science and public policy can indeed go hand in hand in Brazil. "As a member of the technical-scientific committee, I closely followed the construction of an institution that knew how to translate rigorous research into public debate on central issues for the country's economic development – from the role of the minimum wage in the labor market to investments in early childhood, including education, social assistance and mobility." The economist also points out the relevance of the Atlas of Social Mobility Brazil and its unprecedented indicators on the chances of economic ascension in each region of the country, mentioning the fact that the platform has become a reference for understanding why so many Brazilian children are still born with no real chance of changing their lives. "It is this ability to put evidence at the center of the debate that makes IMDS a unique institution in the country," she points out.

Marcos Lisboa draws attention to the important task of the Technical-Scientific Committee in collaborating with IMDS researchers in their technical work and reinforces the Institute's mission to study the obstacles to social mobility and evaluate mechanisms that allow reducing differences in opportunity. "IMDS reports use the results of scientific research from different countries to prepare diagnoses and proposals for public policy in Brazil. This immense literature, sometimes too technical and specific, is the raw material of the Institute", he emphasizes. "Evaluate the results of research and carry out studies that synthesize the main conclusions, observing the specific characteristics of Brazil. Boundary conditions matter and affect the design of mechanisms for improving the quality and effectiveness of public policy." The economist highlights how the experience has been over these two years: "It has been impressive how a relatively small group of researchers linked to the Institute has produced so many analyses and careful proposals for our challenges".

The director of research at IMDS, Fernando Veloso, who currently coordinates the Committee, reinforces the importance of the group's work. "The Committee has the fundamental role of ensuring the maintenance of the high standard of quality of IMDS's work." This commitment, according to him, involves the evaluation of technical production in progress and recommendations for improvements, as well as suggestions for topics to be explored. According to Veloso, another important dimension of the Committee's work is "to contribute to the Institute's mission of translating rigorous research into public policies that are capable of increasing the chances of children and young people born in low-income families to ascend socially and overcome inequalities of opportunities". The coordinator positively evaluates the activities developed by the group. "The Committee has been very successful in these two years, and we have full confidence that it will continue to support IMDS in future projects", he says.

Paulo Tafner, CEO of IMDS, says that the Technical-Scientific Committee represented an improvement in the Institute's technical management. All works are previously presented to the Committee, which evaluates and proposes methodological improvements, alternative approaches and possible complements. "This is a guarantee that the works produced by the Institute have passed through the acute technical scrutiny of the members of the Committee. It is a seal of the quality of our work", he explains. When taking stock, Tafner says that the results exceed expectations. "These are debates of the highest intellectual level with the sole purpose of improving the institution's technical work. We feel comforted by the certainty that the final product that IMDS makes available to the public has passed the quality sieve of the members of the Committee", he emphasizes.

We thank the members of the Technical-Scientific Committee for their commitment and effort aimed at improving IMDS products. Together, we will continue committed to untying the ties that keep generations in poverty, through incentives that favor the social mobility of the lower strata of society.

See you in the next "Letter from IMDS"!

Paulo Tafner
CEO