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ISSUE #01, Jan 2025

Research E-News

We want to change the world and we will do it with the right people.


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Highlight

Nova SBE has two FCT projects recommended for funding

The Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) recently announced the provisional results of the competition for scientific research and technological development (IC&DT) projects in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Cybersecurity of relevance to Public Administration. Nova SBE has two projects recommended for funding:

1. Principal Investigator: Rodrigo Belo

Title: Improving job seekers’ odds with Large Language Models: randomized controlled trials at Instituto de Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP)

Budget Nova SBE: EUR 124,308.11

Researchers will utilize their extensive experience to develop and evaluate artificial intelligence applications aimed at enhancing the presentation materials of job seekers registered with the Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP). Trough large language models, they aim to personalize and optimize these materials, thereby increasing the employability of individuals. The team believes that data science and artificial intelligence can significantly improve job seekers' prospects. Their expertise will contribute to better experiences for both job seekers and employers, ultimately enhancing employment outcomes and economic benefits.

2. Principal Investigator: Roberto Henriques (NOVA IMS)

Team Members Nova SBE: Patrícia Xufre (investigator in charge), Ana Balcão Reis

Title: HELM.AI Aligning Higher Vocational Education with Labour Market Demands using AI

Budget Nova SBE: EUR 39 620,15 

The fields of AI and Data Science are crucial for this project due to their transformative potential in higher education governance. AI can automate routine administrative tasks, enhancing the operational efficiency of the Direcção-Geral do Ensino Superior. Data Science offers advanced analytics for decision-making, utilizing predictive modeling and clustering to identify trends and key factors affecting student success and program relevance.

AI also enables personalized education by analyzing academic performance, socio-economic background, and engagement levels, which can improve outcomes and reduce dropout rates. Data Science aligns educational programs with labor market demands by analyzing job vacancies and trends, thus enhancing employability and reducing skills gaps. GeoSOM (Self-Organizing Maps) supports regional analysis, identifying disparities in educational access and enabling targeted interventions. Additionally, an AI-based recommendation system will provide strategic decision support, suggesting skills and program updates based on labor market trends

Spotlight

Donna, J. D., Pereira, P., Pu, Y., Trindade, A., & Yoshida, R. C. (2024). Direct sales and bargaining. Rand Journal Of Economics, 55(4), 499-814.

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Publications

  • Clegg, S. R., Cunha, M. P. E., López, A., Sirage, E., & Rego, A. (2024). Tackling sustainable development goals through new space. Project Leadership and Society, 5, Article 100107.

  • Perelman, J., Serranheira, F., Laires, P., Castanheira, F., Raposo, J. F., Aguiar, P., Neves, P., Ramos, S., Dias, S., Maia, T., & Twork4Health Group (2024). Teleworking: does it make workers healthier and productive? A cross-sectional study on a Southern European population. BMC Public Health, 24(1), Article 1946.  

  • Campino, J., & Rodrigues, B. (2024). From CFOs to crypto: exploratory study unraveling factors in corporate adoption. Financial Innovation, 10(1), Article 141

  • Abrardi, L., Cambini, C., & Hoernig, S. (2024). “I don't care about cookies!” data disclosure and time-inconsistent users. Information Economics and Policy, 69, Article 101112.

  • Gerchow, L., Lanier, Y., Fayard, A-L., & Squires, A. (2024). A comprehensive view of adolescent sexual health and family planning from the perspective of black and hispanic adolescent mothers in New York City. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 6, Article 100460.

  • Augusto Oviedo Tejada, C., Barros, P. P., Moreira Aristides dos Santos, A., Horta, B., D. Bertoldi, A., Vieira dos Santos Motta, J., & J D Barros, A. (2024). Intergenerational income mobility and returns to education in Southern Brazil. Economic Modelling, 141, Article 106862.

  • Rodrigues, P. M. M., Sibbertsen, P., & Voges, M. (2024). The stability of government bond markets’ equilibrium and the interdependence of lending rates. Empirical Economics, 67(6), 2503-2538.

  • Hung, I. W., & Faust, N. T. (2024). Beauty growth-mindset promotes prosocial and altruistic behavior. Scientific Reports, 14(1), Article 30244

Achievements

  • Faculty promotion

    Nova SBE congratulates our professors on their promotions:

    • Alex Armand (Economics) has been promoted from Associate Professor with agregação to Full Professor.
    • Tim Eisert (Finance) has been promoted from Associate Professor with agregação to Full Professor.
    • Rui Silva (Finance) has been promoted from Associate Professor with agregação to Full Professor.
    • Sofia Kousi (Management - Marketing) has been promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor.

  • Nova SBE awarded at Nova Science & Innovation Day

    During 2024 Nova Science & Innovation Day, we celebrated the achievements of two of our faculty members and a Knowledge Center. Anne-Laure Fayard received the Publications with Impact Award for her paper “Collaborating with AI: Taking a System View to Explore the Future of Work.” This award recognizes NOVA authors with the highest FWCI (field-weighted citation impact) for scientific publications from 2021 to 2023. Leid Zejnilovic received an honorable mention for his role as Principal Investigator in the Data for Change projects. These initiatives have driven impactful, data-driven solutions in areas such as healthcare, social equity, and sustainable development, demonstrating how data science can transform organizations and create societal change. Additionally, the Patient Innovation narrative "Patient-Driven Solutions: Empowering Health Innovators" was honored with the NOVA Research Impact Narratives Award. The event also delved into specific research highlights from the past year where Susana Peralta presented findings from her study, Inequality, Individual Behaviour, and Public Policies: Evidence from Fiscal Administrative Data. 

  • Pedro Gardete  is one of the 2024 MSI  Scholars

    Pedro Gardete has been named one of the 2024 MSI (Marketing Science Institute) Scholars. The MSI Scholars Program aims to bring together a select group of mid-career academics to recognize their excellence in scholarship, foster a cohort across marketing disciplines, and strengthen ties between scholars and MSI. Notably, Nova SBE was the only Portuguese school represented, and Pedro Gardete was the sole Portuguese professor honored.

  • Pedro Santa Clara awarded at SBE Alumni event

    Pedro Santa Clara was one of the winners of the 3rd edition of the Nova SBE Alumni Awards in the Lifetime Achievement category. These awards annually recognize the professional journeys of alumni from the Nova School of Business & Economics, whose work has made a significant global impact, contributing meaningfully to society and promoting the values and legacy of the School.

  • New episode of Design Thinking Roundtable

    Check out the latest episode of the Design Thinking Roundtable, a collaboration between the DESIS Lab at Nova SBE and the Design Lab at NYU MakerSpace. In this episode, Anne-Laure Fayard, DESIS Lab coordinator, engages in a conversation with Robert Fabricant, co-founder and partner at Dalberg Design. He shares his journey from criminal justice advocacy to systems design, focusing on public health systems and social innovation. He emphasizes the importance of collaboration and adopting a long-term perspective to achieve positive social change.

Researchers on Media

Nova SBE  Economics of Education Knowledge Center & NOVAFRICA

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The latest analysis by the Nova SBE Economics of Education Knowledge Center and the Nova SBE NOVAFRICA Knowledge Center highlights the main challenges faced by students from PALOP countries during their initial adaptation to higher education in Portugal. The study was conducted by Nova SBE researchers Ana Balcão Reis, Cátia Batista, David M. Costa (researcher assistant), Gonçalo Lima (affiliate researcher), and Pedro Freitas (affiliate researcher). The findings were featured by RTP, Público, Líder Magazine, Jornal Económico and Observador, among others.

Read more

João Duarte

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João Duarte's paper, "Monetary Policy, Housing Rents, and Inflation Dynamics" (co-authored with Daniel A. Dias from the Financial Institution Risk Evaluation Section in the Division of Financial Stability of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System), was cited by The Economist. He also spoke to the Now channel about the impacts of the corporate tax cut on the Portuguese economy in 2025.

Read more

Nova SBE Health Economics & Management Knowledge Center

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The Nova SBE Health Economics & Management Knowledge Center released the 2023 Health Care Access Report, authored by researchers Carolina Santos and Pedro Pita Barros. The report's data indicate that medication costs remain a significant barrier to health care access. The findings were featured by Forbes, Público, TVI, Atlas da Saúde, Health News and Medjournal.

Read more

Cátia Batista

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Cátia Batista gave an interview to Expresso and SIC Notícias about the Barómetro da Imigração by the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos. The survey revealed that 52.2% of respondents believe immigrants receive more social support than they contribute. Batista emphasized the economic benefits of immigration, stating that without it, the impact on the economy would be severe and disastrous.

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Pedro Martins

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Pedro Martins gave an interview to Expresso about the job cuts in the textile and automotive sectors. The Portuguese automotive industry is experiencing layoffs due to the deterioration of the German economy. However, there are more sectors on alert, and the situation is expected to worsen.

Read more

Pedro Freitas

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Pedro Freitas gave an interview to the Contra Corrente podcast (Observador) about the TIMSS results, an international study assessing the performance of fourth and eighth-grade students in Mathematics and Science. The results confirmed that the past eight years have seen a decline in learning outcomes.

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Susana Peralta

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Susana Peralta gave an interview to Jornal de Notícias about the increasing number of poor children without access to preschool. She also spoke to Público about harassment complaints in higher education. She continues to provide weekly analysis of major topics on RTP’s Sunday night news broadcast and on Rádio Observador’s podcast "Fora do Baralho.

Read more

Pedro Oliveira

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Pedro Oliveira spoke to BITALK – Negócios à Portuguesa about academic inbreeding, which occurs when universities primarily recruit from within their own circles, thereby limiting the diversity of ideas.

Read more

Luis Cabral

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Luis Cabral gave an interview to Sábado where he discussed the division he observed regarding wokism and the risks associated with Trump's economic policies.

Read more

Cláudia Custódio

CNN Portugal, in the segment "How to Solve?", interviewed Cláudia Custódio about the significant challenge of finding effective ways to promote the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which make up nearly 99% of the business sector and play a central role in the country's economic development.

Pedro Brinca

Pedro Brinca gave several interviews in December on various economic topics:

RTP3: Analyzed the main 2024 economic events

3 às 16: Discussed the Bank of Portugal's economic bulletin, deficit, and debt dynamics.

TVI and CNN: Talked about housing affordability in Portugal.

Jornal Económico, Construir, Publituris, Ambitur and Magazine Imobiliário: Published data fom his study on local accommodation's impact on Lisbon's tourist tax.

RTP3 3 às 23, ECO and Jornal Económico: Commented on ECB interest rate decisions.

RTP3 Choque de Ideias: Debated immigration immigration and its importance in the context of our current demographic dynamics and poverty in Portugal.

RTP3 Choque de Ideias: Spoke about the recently released numbers for poverty in Portugal

Expresso: Interviewed about Portugal's GDP per capita evolution over the last 20 years.

Social Equity Initiative

The Social Database, part of the Social Equity Initiative, recently introduced a new feature – the Download option. This tool provides detailed data on over 18,000 social organizations in Portugal, accessible directly from the platform's Statistics page. The news was reported by Excecutive Digest.

Researchers Corner

The Personal Income Tax in Portugal: from the sovereign debt crisis to the inflationary shock

Over the past 15 years, Portugal’s Personal Income tax (PIT) - a cornerstone of the national tax system - has undergone numerous changes. In a recent study with Sara Riscado and Lara Wemans, we examine the evolution of Portugal's PIT using a microsimulation model to explore where we stand compared to the pre-sovereign debt crisis era.

During the sovereign debt crisis, the effective average PIT rate rose sharply from 9% to 14.2%, primarily due to consolidation policies. Subsequent periods saw various tax relief measures aimed at reducing the burden. However, the average rate only declined by 0.9 pp, as the impact from policy measures was offset by an income effect. Given the progressive nature of the tax, an increase in income that is not fully matched by an adjustment in the tax’s monetary parameters pushes taxpayers into higher rates, raising the effective average rate even in the absence of legislative changes.

Thus, despite the implementation of tax relief measures, the average PIT rate in 2024 remains above pre-sovereign-debt-crisis levels. At the same time, PIT’s redistributive capacity has strengthened. While pre-tax income inequality remains similar to 2009, post-tax inequality has decreased, highlighting PIT’s dual role as a source of revenue and a key instrument for income redistribution.


Sharmin Sazedj

PhD holder in Economics and Adjunct Assistant Professor

Opinion Articles

Events

  • Pedro Pita Barros speaker at InNova Talks

    Pedro Pita Barros spoke at InNova Talks, emphasizing the importance of starting to explain to people that choices need to be made. He advocates for investment and prevention in healthcare. Milton de Sousa also participated in the event, contributing to the panel on the future of leadership in 2025.

  • Pedro Oliveira hosted EuroAmericas Forum

    Pedro Oliveira hosted the EuroAmericas Forum, delivering the opening remarks at its inaugural edition. He also presented the awards to the winners of the 3rd edition of the Nova SBE Alumni Awards.

  • Pedro Santa Clara  at the AEMinho General Council

    Pedro Santa Clara participated in the AEMinho General Council meeting focused on "The Future of Education," where he emphasized that education should be a fundamental pillar in building the future. He stated, "If we have ambition and boldness, we can leverage the upcoming technological disruption to make our education system one of the best in the world at all levels—Primary, Secondary, and Higher Education."

  • Filipe Costa at an national health event

    "The Patient at the Center: From Research & Development to Health Technology Assessment" was the theme of the initiative where Filipe Costa spoke about how "in Portugal, clinical decisions are based solely on the concept of perception." Addressing healthcare investment, he linked it to outdated management models and decision-making processes. "We should no longer be talking about information. We should be discussing how to transform knowledge and wisdom into impact."

  • Nova SBE signed a protocol with Liga dos Combatentes 

    Nova SBE welcomed the Liga dos Combatentes for the signing of a protocol as part of an FCT research project titled "The 25th of April and Portuguese Democracy" (initiated by the FCT to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April). The project, won by our school, is called "The Legacy of War in Socioeconomic Dynamics and Human Behavior: Evidence from Former Portuguese Combatants" and is coordinated by José Tavares.

Research Seminars

Please check our website for more informations.

Other News

Social Database launched a pratical guide on personal Data Protection

The Social Database Project, the largest open data platform in Portugal's social impact ecosystem, has launched the Practical Guide: Personal Data Protection – Social Economy. This guide helps social organizations manage and protect personal data in line with GDPR. Developed under the Social Equity Initiative, the project is coordinated by the Nova SBE Data Science Knowledge Center.

Leid Zejnilovic leaves leadership role at the Data Science Knowledge Center 

Leid Zejnilovic is stepping down from his leadership role at the Nova SBE Data Science Knowledge Center, with Rodrigo Belo continuing as Academic Director. He stated that the center now has a solid structure, infrastructure, funding, and an excellent faculty team, making it the perfect time for this transition. He added that building the center was an honor and that their impact extended nationwide in Portugal.

Call for Papers: Workshop on Subjective Expectations

This workshop aims to connect junior and senior researchers focused on subjective expectations. A minicourse for PhD students interested in the field will be held on June 8, 2025.

 

Event Details:

  • Date: June 9-10, 2025
  • Location: Nova SBE, part of the EQUALNovaERA project
  • Keynote Speakers: Nicola Gennaioli (Bocconi University) and Charles F. Manski (Northwestern University)

 

Submission Guidelines:

For Workshop Papers:

  1. Fill out the submission form.
  2. Send your paper or extended abstract to equalnovaera@novasbe.pt by January 26, 2025 (Subject: “[Workshop on Subjective Expectations]”). Completed papers are prioritized.
  3. Notifications by March 1, 2025.

 

For PhD Minicourse:

  1. Fill out the submission form.
  2. Send your CV and a short Letter of Motivation to equalnovaera@novasbe.pt by February 15, 2025 (Subject: “[PhD Minicourse on Subjective Expectations in Economics]”).
  3. Request a Letter of Recommendation from your PhD supervisor by the same date (Subject: “[LOR for Your FirstName LastName]”).
  4. Notifications by March 21, 2025.

Organizers: Adeline Delavande (Nova SBE and University of Technology Sydney), Priscila de Oliveira (Nova SBE), Pedro Pires (Nova SBE) and Basit Zafar (University of Michigan).

Good to know

Data Science Knowledge Center has a new name

Did you know that our Nova SBE Data Science Knowledge Center has changed its name? It is now called the Nova SBE Data, Operations & Technology Knowledge Center (DOT). This change reflects the center's evolution over recent years, as it has been working on more multidisciplinary and heterogeneous projects. To better represent this growth and set the tone for the future, the center opted for a broader name. Additionally, the center has launched a podcast in Portuguese about technology called "3 Dados de Conversa" which aims to simplify and demystify technology.

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