Nova SBE Public Policy Institute

Events

For up-to-date information on current and future events, please visit our LinkedIn page.

July 2026

Rethinking Early Childhood Policy Workshop

Children are the future of humanity. While this idea has been repeated to the point of becoming cliché, it remains true. Much — perhaps most — of our effort to improve the lives of children has been focused on education, in particular, formal education. "Education is my passion!" — another cliche heard from politicians of all persuasions. However, evidence shows that lived experiences in early childhood play a critical role in a person's life, even more so than the formal education and schooling process. In other words, much of a person’s future is decided by the care they receive during their first years of life. Rethinking Early Childhood (REC) aims to address the issues raised by the evidence, focusing on policies that promote equity in opportunities for all children. As things stand, many children have effectively already been left behind before they reach toddlerhood.

December 19-20, 2025

Innovation and Productivity Policy Workshop

After half a century of catching up to the US, the Europe-US productivity and innovation gap has increased over the past two or three decades. This raises two questions: First, what causes this gap? Second, what role can public policy play in order to close this gap? The goal of the Innovation and Productivity Workshop (IPW), jointly sponsored by the Bennett School of Public Policy, is to address the above questions, leading to a policy paper with concrete and realistic proposals.

October 22, 2025

Employer Market Power. Wednesday

Several scholars have documented the declining share of labor in GDP and, more generally, the worsening of workers’ conditions across many developed economies. One prominent cause of this trend is the increasing concentration and monopsony power in labor markets: generally speaking, workers have fewer alternative employers when seeking a job in their region and area of expertise. Governments, political parties, and competition authorities need to pay attention to this phenomenon. The present workshop aims to explore some of the consequences of the observed trends, both from a theoretical perspective and with a particular focus on the case of Portugal, encompassing both economic and non-economic dimensions. Following a series of presentations that summarize recent research based on Portuguese microdata, the workshop concludes with a panel discussion on policy implications.

June 26, 2025

Masterclass: Policies, not Politics

In an interactive Masterclass moderated by João Cepeda, Isaltino Morais, Mayor of Oeiras and Ana Mendes Godinho, former Minister of Labour, Solidarity, and Social Security, discussed the importance of the role of communication in policy effectiveness. In an era where new communication channels are shifting how discourse is held, they argued that the democratic center must embrace new communication channels, because politicians can't afford not to communicate.

April 10, 2025

Policy Fest

Nova SBE Public Policy Institute’s Policy Fest brought together thought leaders, students, researchers, and professionals for a full day of powerful conversations, fresh ideas, and inspiring moments. In a panel moderated by João Cepeda, Ana Fontoura Gouveia and José Pacheco Pereira discussed the importance of communications in public policy. In a live taping of the 45 Graus podcast, geographer Simone Tulumello and economist Vera Gouveia Barros tackled Portugal’s hashtag housing crisis from both structural and socio-economic angles. Nova SBE researchers Ana Balcão Reis, José Tavares, Susana Peralta, and Pedro Martins presented a series of short “policy bites” based on their research. In a panel moderated by Filipe Alfaiate, Tiago Pitta e Cunha and Francisco Cordeiro de Araújo discussed the meaning of policy entrepreneurship. The day ended with the grand finale of Nova SBE Public Policy Institute’s Public Policy Debate Competition.

Haddad Productivity Lab Launch

The Nova SBE Public Policy Institute launched its first research lab on productivity, with the generous support of the Haddad Foundation. The launch ceremony was held at Nova School of Business &  Economics in Carcavelos in January. Pedro Oliveira, Dean of Nova SBE emphasized that “the Productivity Laboratory of our Public Policy Institute reflects Nova SBE's commitment to transforming knowledge into impact, bringing together academia, the public and private sectors to tackle one of our country's greatest challenges. Improving our productivity is essential to ensuring a more prosperous and sustainable future.” The event featured speakers Carlos Tavares (former Minister of the Economy), Adriano Rafael Moreira (Secretary of State for Employment), and was moderated by CNN Portugal. The event culminated with the signing of the foundational gift by the Haddad Foundation. Doctor Claudio Haddad (on behalf of the Haddad Foundation) and Dr Rui Diniz (on behalf of the Alfredo de Sousa Foundation) were present, as were Professors Pedro Oliveira (Dean of Nova SBE) and Luís Cabral (Academic Director of Nova SBE’s Public Policy Institute, which houses the Haddad Productivity Lab).

Nova SBE Public Policy Institute Launch

The Nova SBE Public Policy Institute was officially launched on September 20th, 2024, at the Carcavelos Campus, marking a transformative step in fostering informed, inclusive, and impactful public policies. The launch event brought together esteemed speakers who enriched the discussions with diverse perspectives. Pedro Oliveira, Dean of Nova SBE, welcomed participants with a clear vision for the institute's role in shaping societal progress. Luís Cabral, Director of the Institute, highlighted the institute's mission to bridge academic research and actionable public policy. José Manuel Durão Barroso, former President of the European Commission, delivered an insightful keynote, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based, inclusive policy making in addressing global challenges. Several panels explored how public policy intersects with issues such as inequality, health policy, sustainability, financial inclusion, social change through data, and inclusive community development. Speakers included Antonio Nogueira Leite, Fernando Medina, Maria Manuel Leitão Marques, and Gonçalo Saraiva Matias (on the role of public policy); Susana Peralta, Ana Balcão Reis, Antonieta Cunha e Sá, and Pedro Pita Barros (on the role of research in public policy); Alex Armand, Miguel Ferreira, Leid Zejnilovic and Rui Diniz (on the impactful research and policy entrepreneurship). Miguel Pinto Luz, Minister of Infrastructure and Housing offered congratulatory closing remarks.