Researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) have joined a solidarity research network that has the objective of improving public policies to confront the coronavirus crisis. The “Covid-19: Public Policies and Society Responses” - Rede Solidária project is an initiative created by researchers to calibrate the focus and improve the quality of public policies at different levels. The Center for Metropolitan Studies (CEM-Cepid/Fapesp) is one of the members of the network.

Reflecting on the scale of the challenge, researchers started bringing together specialists from various areas, such as the humanities, medicine, engineering and statistics, in order to “evaluate the quality of what is being done by the public sector for people who are facing difficulties, whether in the area of ​​health, economics or, now, to understand what the world of politics is telling us”, explained Glauco Arbix, one of the coordinators of the solidarity network, a Professor in the department of sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy, Literature and Human Sciences at USP (FFLCH-USP) and coordinator of the Innovation Observatory at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IEA-USP), to USP's Journal.

The network is disseminating ongoing research in weekly newsletters, prepared based on information and data collected and investigated through indicators, using advanced research methods, with the aim of offering scientific assistance to improve the quality of public policies. 

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(Imagem de Tumisu por Pixabay) 

Bulletin number 2, for example, presented the results of research carried out by Rogério Jerônimo Barbosa, Postdoctoral Fellow at CEM-Cepid/Fapesp, Ian Prates, from the Brazilian Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (Cebrap) and Social Accountability International, and Thiago de Oliveira Meireles, a PhD student in political science at the University of São Paulo (USP). They show that 75.5 million people, representing 81% of the national workforce, are experiencing some form of vulnerability due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Other researchers affiliated to CEM are included in the network, such as Hellen Guicheney, Carolina Requena, Paulo Silva and Sérgio Simoni.

The network’s researchers are divided into four thematic groups related to the pandemic. The first deals with distancing and quarantine, focusing on issues of public health and impacts on fiscal policy. The second is a qualitative project on the difficulties faced by the most affected communities, in terms of income and wages, in order to understand the needs of this population.

The third is linked to the labor market, and seeks to identify the key categories in Brazil and assess, with regards to income for example, whether or not they can work from home. Social protection is the focus of the fourth project: how already existing instruments, tools and programs, such as Bolsa Família, and those being created, such as the 'coronavoucher', are helping the population and mitigating the negative impacts of the pandemic.

In addition to CEM-Cepid/Fapesp, various other organizations are supporting and participating in the solidarity research network: the National Institute of Science and Technology in Medicine Assisted by Scientific Computing, the Heart Institute at the Hospital das Clínicas, USP Medical School, the Innovation Observatory, the Ponto BR Center of Information and Coordination and the Institute of Advanced Studies at USP, the Research Institute at Hospital Albert Einstein, the Center for Development and Regional Planning at UFMG, the Center for Science and Technology at IPEA and also the companies InLoco and The Great Place to Work.

“A rede solidária congrega grupos de pesquisa que têm contribuído para um melhor conhecimento sobre as dinâmicas relacionadas à pandemia e para o aperfeiçoamento de políticas. Nessa direção, vários pesquisadores do CEM se integraram à inciativa, assim como tem participado de outros esforços de pesquisa e debate público dos problemas da crise do Covid-19”, destaca Eduardo Marques, coordenador do CEM e professor do Departamento de Ciência Política da FFLCH-USP.

“The solidarity network brings together research groups that have contributed to forming a better understanding of the dynamics related to the pandemic and to improving policies. In this regard, several researchers from CEM joined the initiative, as well as participating in other research efforts and public debates on the problems of the Covid-19 crisis ”, highlights Eduardo Marques, Coordinator of CEM and Professor in the department of political science at FFLCH-USP.

CEM researchers are also collaborating in disseminating research, writing articles and granting interviews to media, and participating in the “Online Seminars on Covid-19”, promoted by Professor of political science at FFLCH-USP, Lorena Barberia.

See  other examples (click in the title in Portuguese to see the full text or presentantion):

Webinar “Online Seminars on Covid-19” with Marta Arretche, researcher at CEM-Cepid / Fapesp and professor at the Department of Political Science at FFLCH / USP - "The Role of Epidemics in Reducing Inequality".(“O Papel das Epidemias na Redução da Desigualdade”.) 

Webinar “Online Seminars on Covid-19” with Ursula Peres, researcher at CEM-Cepid / Fapesp and professor at the School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities (EACH-USP), and Vilma da Conceição Pinto, researcher at the Brazilian Institute of Economics (IBRE ) from Faculdade Getúlio Vargas (FGV), with the presentation of the theme “The Response of States and Municipalities to Pandemic and Financing for Policies to face Covid-19”.(“A Resposta dos Estados e Municípios à Pandemia e o Financiamento para as Políticas para enfrentar a Covid-19”.) 

Researchers present proposal to create emergency social contribution on high incomes (Pesquisadores apresentam proposta de criação de contribuição social emergencial sobre altas rendas) 

Social assistance and the pandemic: contributions from a neglected policy (A assistência social e a pandemia: contribuições de uma política relegada) 

Housing deficit is an obstacle to vertical isolation (Déficit habitacional é obstáculo para isolamento vertical)  

Only quick action by the government will prevent social upheaval (Só ação rápida do governo evitará convulsão social)

Your intuition is not enough: why we need to use research and evaluation to qualify public policies and services (Sua intuição não é suficiente: por que precisamos utilizar pesquisa e avaliação para qualificar políticas e serviços públicos)

Midia Press
Janaína Simões
E-mail: imprensa.cem@usp.br
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