It’s not that simple

Is democracy dying? What challenges do democracies around the world face nowadays? How can they overcome such challenges? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Daniel Ziblatt in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. An expert on democracy, Ziblatt is Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University and is director of the Transformations of Democracy research unit at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center in Berlin, Germany. His three books include How_Democracies_Die (Crown, 2018), co-authored with Steve Levitsky), a New York Times best-seller, translated into twenty-two languages. He is also the author of Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy (Cambridge University Press, 2017), an account of Europe's historical democratization, which won the American Political Science Association's 2018 Woodrow Wilson Prize for the best book in government and international relations and American Sociological Association's 2018 Barrington Moore Prize. In recent years he has been a fellow or visiting professor at the European University Institute (Florence, Italy), Center for Advanced Study (Stanford), Max Planck Institute (Cologne), University of Munich, and the Ecole Normale Superieure (Paris). In this episode, Ziblatt identifies the warning signs of when a democracy is being threatened, not by a coup, but by authoritarian politicians “chipping away” at its foundations from within. He also gives examples of countries where democracy is in good health. Ziblatt then looks at the impact of the Russian war against Ukraine in the world’s democracies and what the future might hold. He addresses the failed attempts – in the US and in Brazil – to overturn the result of their presidential elections, and what they say about the future of democracy there and around the world. Finally, Ziblatt turns to Portugal and the rise of its populist far-right, discussing how mainstream parties in Western democracies can deal with that threat, in a conversation well worth listening to. More on this topic:   • How Democracies Die, Daniel Ziblatt (with Steven Levitsky), 2018 • Conservative Parties and the Birth of Democracy, Daniel Ziblatt, 2017 • Daniel Ziblatt on "The Causes of Populism and the Problem of Cultural Majority Rights" • Daniel Ziblatt (with Alper Yagci and Muharrem Aytug Sasmaz) on “"How Voters Respond to Presidential Assaults on Checks and Balances: Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Turkey" • Daniel Ziblatt (with Rachel Riedl, Dan Slater, and Joseph Wong) on "Authoritarian-Led Democratization" • A piece about the book “How Democracies Die” • An interview with Daniel Ziblatt about the state of American democracy • Podcast It’s Not That Simple, “Political Polarization”, with Ezra Klein • Podcast It’s Not That Simple, “Elections”, with Nate Silver • Podcast It’s Not That Simple, “(I)liberal Democracy”, with Catherine de Vries • An interview with historian Timothy Snyder about democracy Other references in Portuguese:   • Podcast [IN] Pertinente “Estará ameaçada a democracia?” with Pedro Vieira and Raquel Vaz Pinto • Essay of the Foundation “A Qualidade da Democracia em Portugal”, by Conceição Pequito Teixeira, 2018 • “Instituições e qualidade da democracia: cultura política na Europa do Sul”, a study by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, coordinated by Tiago Fernandes

What is happiness? Can it be studied? Are there steps we can all take in order to become happy? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Laurie Santos in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. An expert on the science of happiness, Santos is the Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Psychology and Head of Silliman College at Yale University. In addition to her work on the evolutionary origins of human cognition, Laurie is an expert on the ways in which our minds lie to us about what makes us happy. Her Yale course, Psychology and the Good Life, teaches students how the science of psychology can provide important hints about how to make wiser choices and live a life that’s happier and more fulfilling. The class became Yale’s most popular course in over 300 years, with almost one out of four students enrolled. Her course has been featured in the New York Times, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, GQ Magazine, Slate and O! Magazine. The online version of the class—The Science of Well-Being on Coursera.org—has attracted more than 4 million learners from around the world. A winner of numerous awards both for her science and teaching, she was recently voted as one of Popular Science Magazine’s “Brilliant 10” young minds, and was named in Time Magazine as a “Leading Campus Celebrity.” Her podcast, The Happiness Lab, is a top-3 Apple podcast which has attracted 85+ million downloads since its launch. In this episode, Santos talks about her Yale course on Psychology and the Good Life and why it has become so popular. Santos also explains what the research on happiness tells us about what people who report being happy have done to get there. Santos then discusses how often the things we tend to think will make us happy end up not making us happy at all. She also looks at the impact of the Covid epidemic and technology on our age’s mental health crisis and points out the value of social connection – and fun – for our happiness. Finally, Santos explains how important “negative” emotions like sadness, anger or frustration are for our ability to be happy, in a conversation well worth listening to. More on this topic • The online version of Santos’ Yale course • The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos, her podcast • A series of interviews with Laurie Santos • A New York Times story on Santos’ Yale course Other references in Portuguese • Podcast [IN] Pertinente “O que é a felicidade” with Ana Markl and Rui Costa Lopes • Podcast [IN] Pertinente “Felicidade liga com Economia?” with Hugo van der Ding and Joana Pais • Podcast [IN] Pertinente “Somos iguais aos de antes?” with Ana Markl and Miguel Chaves • “Felicidade e bem-estar: a importância dos outros”, na interview with neuroscientist Julianne Holt-Lunstad

What will the economy of the future look like? How can we prepare for it? What impact is technology having on work and the job market? Are we heading towards a world without work? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Daniel Susskind in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. An expert on the impact of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, on work and society, Daniel Susskind is a Research Professor of Economics at King’s College London, and a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University. He is the the author of the book A World Without Work, described by The New York Times as "required reading for any potential presidential candidate thinking about the economy of the future”, co-author of the best-selling book, The Future of the Professions. His TED Talk, on the future of work, has been viewed more than 1.6 million times. Previously, Susskind worked in the British Government – as a policy adviser in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, as a policy analyst in the Policy Unit in 10 Downing Street, and as a senior policy adviser in the Cabinet Office. He was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University. In this episode, Susskind discusses how the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the role of technology in the various kinds of work we do. He looks at how technological progress will impact the lives of people who depend on paid work for their income, and considers how many people could be displaced or left behind by the economy of the future. He also examines how a world with less work available to a larger number of people will affect them emotionally and not just financially. Finally, Susskind discusses what kinds of jobs and careers will be open to future generations, and what skills and capabilities they will require of them, in a conversation well worth listening to. More on this topic The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts, Daniel Susskind and Richard Susskind, 2015 A World Without Work: Technology, Automation, and How We Should Respond, Daniel Susskind, 2020 Daniel Susskind on “A World Without Work” Daniel Susskind on “3 myths about the future of work (and why they're not true)” Daniel Susskind on “the impact of coronavirus on the global workforce and how technology has transformed the future of work” Daniel Susskind on “technology, automation and how we should respond” Daniel Susskind on the future of the workplace Daniel Susskind on how “Robots probably won't take our jobs—for now”

What is political polarization? Has social media contributed to its growth? What about Donald Trump? And where does this growing polarization leave “the center” of the political spectrum? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Ezra Klein in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. A perceptive observer of American politics and society, Ezra Klein is a columnist on the New York Times opinion page, host of the award-winning “Ezra Klein Show” podcast, and author of the bestselling book, “Why We’re Polarized.” Before that, he was the founder, editor-in-chief, and then editor-at-large of Vox, the explanatory news platform, which has won a bevy of awards and now reaches more than 50 million people each month. He was also a creator and executive producer of its hit Netflix show, “Explained.” Prior to starting Vox, Klein founded and led The Washington Post’s Wonkblog. He is also a columnist for Bloomberg News and a regular contributor/policy analyst for MSNBC. The Economist named him one of the “Minds of the Moment.” In 2011, TIME named his blog one of the 25 best financial blogs and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers named Klein as their 2011 Opinion Columnist of the Year. In 2012, GQ named him to their 50 Most Powerful People in Washington list and Esquire named him to their 79 Things We Can All Agree On list saying, “Ezra Klein gives economics columnists a good name.” In this episode, Klein comments on the growing political polarization in the United States of America, what explains it and its impact on the country. He argues that a more fragmented media landscape has contributed to the disappearance of a common ground for what people believe to be true. He also looks at how social media has turned what was an already polarized political landscape into a more extreme, radicalized one. Klein also tries to understand why political figures like Trump, Modri or Silvio Berlusconi have had success all around the world. Finally, Klein examines how the erosion of the political “center” is both a product and a cause of growing political polarization, in a conversation well worth listening to. More on this topic • Why We’re Polarized, Ezra Klein, 2020 • Ezra Klein’s columns in The New York Times • The Ezra Klein Show archive • Ezra Klein on “Why We’re Polarized” •Ezra Klein on “roots of America's democracy problem” • Ezra Klein on “American media's effect on democracy” • Ezra Klein talks with Pippa Norris about the reasons why “the far right is thriving around the globe” • Ezra Klein talks with Sean Illing about “how TV, Twitter and TikTok shape our brains — and our politics” • Ezra Klein talks with Patrick Deneen about the “post-liberal right”

How long can human beings live? Will it become increasingly normal for one to live up to 100 years? What impact will aging have in our societies? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Andrew J. Scott in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. An expert on longevity and aging society, Andrew J. Scott is Professor of Economics at London Business School, having previously held positions at Oxford University, the London School of Economics and Harvard University. He was Managing Editor for the Royal Economic Society’s Economic Journal and Non-Executive Director for the UK’s Financial Services Authority (2009-2013). He is currently on the advisory board of the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility, the Cabinet Office Honours Committee (Science and Technology), co-founder of The Longevity Forum, a member of the WEF council on Healthy Ageing and Longevity and a consulting scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Longevity. Scott is also the recipient of an ESRC grant for researching the economic longevity dividend. In this episode, Scott discusses how we have been able to increase our life expectancy so much in the last few decades. He considers how living longer is “a good thing”, but also the challenges it nevertheless poses. He addresses how governments and companies can deal with some of these challenges. Finally, Scott examines how in order to change the way people age and improve their quality of life at an older age, we must change and improve the way we live when they’re younger, in a conversation well worth listening to. More on this topic • The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, Andrew J. Scott and Linda Gratton, 2016 • The New Long Life: A Framework for Flourishing in a Changing World, Andrew J. Scott and Linda Gratton, 2016 • Andrew J. Scott on living a 100 year life  • Andrew J. Scott on “The Economics of a Longevity Dividend”  • Andrew J. Scott on how to prepare for a longer life  • Andrew J. Scott’s blog  Other references in Portuguese • Essay of the Foundation “O Envelhecimento da Sociedade Portuguesa” by Maria João Valente Rosa  • Essay of the Foundation “Envelhecimento e políticas de saúde”, by Teresa Rodrigues  • “Dinâmicas demográficas e envelhecimento”, a study by Mário Leston Bandeira for the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation  • “Processos de Envelhecimento em Portugal”, a study by Manuel Villaverde Cabral for the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation  • “Envelhecimento Activo em Portugal”, a study by Manuel Villaverde Cabral and Pedro Moura Ferreira for the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation  • “Genética, stress crónico e envelhecimento”, a conference held by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation 

What makes people migrate? How does climate change drive mass migration in today’s world? How serious is this problem? How serious will it become in the future? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Abrahm Lustgarten in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.An author and investigative reporter, Abrahm Lustgarten’s work for ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine has been focused on climate change and our response to a rapidly changing environment. His recent investigations include a three-part series on global climate migration, an examination of the global palm oil trade, the climate drivers behind pandemics, and how climate change is driving global water scarcity. His 2015 series examining the causes of water scarcity in the American West, “Killing the Colorado,” was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting and received the top honor from the National Academy of Sciences. His earlier investigation into the environmental and economic consequences of fracking received the George Polk award for environmental reporting, the National Press Foundation award for best energy writing, a Sigma Delta Chi award and was honored as finalist for the Goldsmith Prize. He is also a 2022 Emerson Collective Fellow at New America, and a recipient of grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to supporting his forthcoming book about climate-driven migration. He teaches a course on narrative writing about climate change at the University of California, Berkeley.In this episode, Lustgarten discusses how climate change can impact social issues which in turn can impact political circumstances and drive to mass migration events. He looks at the growing number of areas of the planet that are or are likely to become uninhabitable and considers the political impact of being a destination of mass migration. He also examines why climate change is something that can be hard for people to fully understand or accept. Finally, he discusses what we can and have to do to mitigate climate change and its consequences, in a conversation well worth listening to.              More on this topic• China’s Great Train: Beijing's Drive West and the Campaign to Remake Tibet, Abrahm Lustgarten, 2008• Run to Failure: BP and the Making of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster, Abrahm Lustgarten, 2012• Abrahm Lustgarten’s award-winning story on “The Water Crisis in the West”https://www.propublica.org/series/killing-the-colorado• Abrahm Lustgarten’s ProPublica storieshttps://www.propublica.org/people/abrahm-lustgarten • A series of stories by Abrahm Lustgarten published in The New York Times Magazinehttps://www.newamerica.org/our-people/abrahm-lustgarten/• Abrahm Lustgarten on “The Great Climate Migration”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ6QoCDcEzg• Abrahm Lustgarten on how “The Great Climate Migration Has Begun”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvaI9nxSKAw• Podcast It’s Not That Simple “Climate Change”, with Bill McKibbenhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDIIzdst6Fo Other references in Portuguese• Essay of the Foundation “Alterações Climáticas” by Filipe Duarte Santoshttps://www.ffms.pt/publicacoes/detalhe/5409/alteracoes-climaticas• Essay of the Foundation “Riscos Globais e Biodiversidade” by Maria Amélia Martins-Louçãohttps://www.ffms.pt/publicacoes/detalhe/5682/riscos-globais-e-biodiversidade• Podcast [IN] Pertinente “Alterações Climáticas: Ainda vamos a tempo?” with Johan Rockströmhttps://www.ffms.pt/conferencias/detalhe/5799/alteracoes-climaticas-ainda-vamos-a-tempo-uma-entrevista-a-johan-rockstrom• Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa “Como responder aos desafios das alterações climáticas?” with  Filipe Duarte Santos

What is climate change? How is it affect our planet? What consequences does it have on our lives? And must we – and can we – do soften them? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Bill McKibben in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.An expert on climate change, Bill McKibben is a founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and justice. His 1989 book The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change, and has appeared in 24 languages. He’s gone on to write 20 books, and his work appears regularly in periodicals from the New Yorker to Rolling Stone. He serves as the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he has won the Gandhi Peace Prize as well as honorary degrees from 20 colleges and universities. He was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, sometimes called the alternative Nobel, in the Swedish Parliament. Foreign Policy named him to its inaugural list of the world’s 100 most important global thinkers. McKibben helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, which has organized protests on every continent, including Antarctica, for climate action. He played a leading role in launching the opposition to big oil pipeline projects like Keystone XL, and the fossil fuel divestment campaign. In 2014, biologists credited his career by naming a new species of woodland gnat—Megophthalmidia mckibbeni–in his honor.In this episode, McKibben discusses the current condition of our planet. He also considers the role of governments and private companies in fighting climate change and its consequences, and looks at what powers like China and the United States are doing – and not doing – to address these issues. He also examines how the lobbying power of the fossil fuel industry interest groups have made the climate crisis worse. Finally, he discusses how the falling prices if renewable sources of energy give us some cause for optimism, in a conversation well worth listening to. More on this topic• The End of Nature, Bill McKibben, 1989• Fight Global Warming Now, Bill McKibben, 2007• Eaarth, Bill McKibben, 2011• The Global Warming Reader, Bill McKibben, 2011• Bill McKibben on how climate change is “the greatest challenge humans have ever faced”https://www.npr.org/2019/04/16/713829853/climate-change-is-greatest-challenge-humans-have-ever-faced-author-says?t=1660062740657• Bill McKibben on “What We've Learned About Climate Change in the Last 30 Years”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfm6mfU5uko• Bill McKibben on “Fossil Fuel Divestment”https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/bill-mckibben-discusses-fossil-fuel-divestment/ Other references in Portuguese• Essay of the Foundation “Alterações Climáticas” by Filipe Duarte Santoshttps://www.ffms.pt/publicacoes/detalhe/5409/alteracoes-climaticas• Essay of the Foundation “Riscos Globais e Biodiversidade” by Maria Amélia Martins-Louçãohttps://www.ffms.pt/publicacoes/detalhe/5682/riscos-globais-e-biodiversidade• Essay of the Foundation “Os Incêndios Florestais em Portugal” by António Bento-Gonçalveshttps://www.ffms.pt/publicacoes/detalhe/5205/os-incendios-florestais-em-portugal• Podcast [IN] Pertinente “Alterações Climáticas: Ainda vamos a tempo?” with Johan Rockströmhttps://www.ffms.pt/conferencias/detalhe/5799/alteracoes-climaticas-ainda-vamos-a-tempo-uma-entrevista-a-johan-rockstrom• Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa “Como responder aos desafios das alterações climáticas?” with  Filipe Duarte Santos e António Costa Silvahttps://www.ffms.pt/podcasts/da-capa-a-contracap

How old is the Universe? How was it born? How will it end? Why are we here? What is a black hole and what do they do? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Vítor Cardoso in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.  A renowned astrophysicist, Vítor Cardoso is Chair of the Physics Department at Instituto Superior Técnico, and Villum Investigator and DNRF Chair at the Niels Bohr Institute. He received his PhD in Physics in 2003 at Instituto Superior Técnico and did post-doctoral research in Saint Louis, Missouri and Oxford, Mississippi in the United States. His research interests focus on gravitational waves and black holes and the physics of space, and he is a pioneer in black hole spectroscopy. He is the author of a book and more than 200 articles published in international journals. His research has been distinguished three times by the European Research Council. In 2015, he was awarded the Order of Santiago D'Espada by the Portuguese President, for his contributions to science.  In this episode, Vítor Cardoso explains what astrophysics is and what his work in this field entails. Namely, describes how this kind of research necessitates a lot of international cooperation, and also how it forces a person to “struggle with their own limitations as a scientist”. He also addresses the importance of the images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope and how much we learned about Space in the last few decades. He discusses why Space research and exploration matters, and the possibility of having human beings living in other planets. Finally, Vítor Cardoso looks at the likelihood of extraterrestrial life, in a conversation well worth listening to.                                 More on this topic • Superradiance: New Frontiers in Black Hole Physics, Vitor Cardoso, Richard Brito and Paolo Pani, 2020 • “Tests for the existence of black holes through gravitational wave echoes” an article by Vítor Cardoso (with Paolo Pani) published in Nature • A conversation about the Cosmos between Vítor Cardoso and fellow astrophysicists Michio Kaku and Carlo Rovelli, hosted by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation • Vítor Cardoso on black holes • Vítor Cardoso on “black holes as engines of discovery”   Other references in Portuguese • Podcast [IN] Pertinente “Os buracos negros têm cabelo?” with Joana Marques and Vítor Cardoso • Podcast [IN] Pertinente “Porque queremos tanto descobrir o céu?” with Joana Marques and Vítor Cardoso • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa “O que sabemos sobre o Universo?” with Francisco Lobo and Paulo Crawford • Essay of the Foundation “Portugal e o Espaço” by Manuel Paiva • “Olhos nos Espaço”, a conference held by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation    

What is «corruption»? What different kinds of corruption exist in our modern societies? How does corruption manifest itself in governments, corporations, the judicial system and every other sphere of our lives? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Donatella della Porta in this episode of «It’s Not That Simple», a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. An expert on corruption, Donatella della Porta is a professor of political science, dean of the Faculty  of Political and Social Sciences  and Director of the PhD program in Political Science and Sociology at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, where she also leads the Center on Social Movement Studies (Cosmos). Among the main topics of her research are social movements, political violence, terrorism, corruption, the police and protest policing. She has directed a major ERC project - Mobilizing for Democracy, on civil society participation in democratization processes in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. In 2011, she was the recipient of the Mattei Dogan Prize for distinguished achievements in the field of political sociology; in 2021, she received the Research Awards of the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung in recognition of her lifetime’s research activities. She is an Honorary Doctor of the universities of Lausanne, Bucharest, Goteborg, Jyvaskyla and the University of Peloponnese. She is the author or editor of 90 books, 150 journal articles and 150 contributions in edited volumes.In this episode, della Porta discusses what the term «corruption» means and what kinds of practices constitute an act of corruption. She also examines the resiliency of corruption in our societies, how it uses the corrupt political and judicial systems to avoid criminal prosecution and thus perpetuate itself in a vicious cycle. Della Porta also addresses the evolution of corruption throughout the world in the last few decades, namely how “democratic backsliding” has been at the root of the increasing levels of corruption in many countries. Finally, della Porta considers how to fight corruption, the role of whistleblowers and how to protect them, in a conversation well worth listening to.  More on this topic • Lo Scambio Occulto: casi di corruzione politica in Italia, Donatella della Porta, 1992• Democracy and Corruption in Europe, Donatella della Porta and Yves Mény, 1997• Corrupt Exchanges: Actors, Resources, and Mechanisms of Political Corruption, Donnatella della Porta and Alberto Vannucci, 1999• The Hidden Order of Corruption: An Institutional Approach, Donnatella della Porta and Alberto Vannucci, 2012• Donatella della Porta on social capital and political corruptionhttps://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780691186849-013/pdf• Donatella della Porta (with Alberto Vannucci) on the “perverse effects” of political corruptionhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9248.00094?journalCode=psxa Other references in Portuguese• Essay of the Foundation “Corrupção” by Luís de Sousa https://www.ffms.pt/publicacoes/detalhe/15/corrupcao• Essay of the Foundation “Jobs for the Boys”, by Patrícia Silvahttps://www.ffms.pt/publicacoes/detalhe/4947/jobs-for-the-boys-as-nomeacoes-para-a-administracao-publica• “45 Anos de Combate à Corrupção”, a study by Luis Rosa for the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundationhttps://www.ffms.pt/publicacoes/detalhe/5208/45-anos-de-combate-a-corrupcao• An interview with Luís Rosa about his study “45 Anos de Combate à Corrupção”https://www.ffms.pt/play/video/5299/e-possivel-combater-a-corrupcao• Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “Como tem sido combatida a corrupção desde Abril de 1974?” with Luís Rosa and Maria José Morgadohttps://www.ffms.pt/podcasts/da-capa-a-contracapa/5306/com

What is it like growing up in a country in civil war? What remains to be achieved in the struggle for women's rights? Will it be possible to heal the wounds opened by the wars of the present and the past? Is it possible to reach peace when the scars of war are still visible? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Leymah Roberta Gbowee in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. A Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2011, Gbowee is a Liberian Peace Activist, Trained Social Worker and Women’s Rights Advocate. She is the Founder and current President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa (GPFA). She also currently serves as the Executive Director of the Women, Peace and Security Program at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York, USA. She is the Co-Founder and former Executive Director of the Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-A) and a Founding Member and former Liberia Coordinator of Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET).  In this episode, Gbowee discusses her experience growing up in civil war-torn Liberia, her time in a refugee camp in Ghana, and how he set up small donut and braid businesses to be able to get food and money. Gbowee also addresses the work she does with victims of war and for peace, the biggest obstacles to peace today and what needs to be done to overcome them. Finally, Gbowee also looks at the progresses made in the struggle for women's rights, and the obstacles women still face today in cultures that do not recognize their worth.  More on this topic • Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War; a Memoir, Leymah Roberta Gbowee (com Carol Mithers), 2011 • Leymah Roberta Gbowee’s Nobel Lecture, 2011 https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2011/gbowee/lecture/ • Documentary about Leymah Roberta Gbowee, 2008 https://vimeo.com/188872289  Other references in Portuguese• Podcast [IN]Pertinente, “Vamos falar de Direitos Humanos?”, with Raquel Vaz Pinto and Pedro Vieira https://www.ffms.pt/podcasts/fundacao-ffms-in-pertinente/5970/politica-vamos-falar-de-direitos-humanos • Podcast [IN]Pertinente, “De quantas mulheres se faz a igualdade de género?”, with Raquel Vaz Pinto and Pedro Vieira https://www.ffms.pt/podcasts/fundacao-ffms-in-pertinente/5848/politica-de-quantas-mulheres-se-faz-a-igualdade-de-genero • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “A situação desigual das mulheres em Portugal”, with Anália Torres and Sandra Ribeiro https://www.ffms.pt/podcasts/da-capa-a-contracapa/5399/a-situacao-desigual-das-mulheres-em-portugal • Conferência, “Apresentação do estudo «Igualdade de género ao longo da vida»”, by Anália Torres https://www.ffms.pt/conferencias/detalhe/2584/apresentacao-do-estudo-igualdade-de-genero-ao-longo-da-vida 

How disastrous was “Brexit”? How much did it affect the United Kingdom’s economy and its living standards? How has it changed the political relationship between the UK and the European Union? Could it ever be reversed? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews R. Daniel Kelemen in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.  An expert on European Affairs, Kelemen is a Professor of Political Science and Law at Rutgers University, where he is the Chair of the Department of Political Science. Prior to Rutgers, Kelemen was Fellow in Politics at the Lincoln College, University of Oxford. He has been a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, visiting fellow in the Program in Law and Public Affairs (LAPA) at Princeton University, and a Fulbright Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels. Kelemen is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and he is a frequent commentator on EU affairs in US and international media.  In this episode, Kelemen discusses how the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have masked the negative impact of “Brexit”, the future of the relationship between the UK and Europe, and the role of the British government led by Boris Johnson. Kelemen also addresses the way in which the public’s attitude towards politics increasingly resembles a fan’s attitude towards the football team they root for, and the process of democratic backsliding and increasing authoritarianism in some European Union countries. Finally, Kelemen looks at the 2022 French presidential elections, at how Russia's invasion of Ukraine will unite Europe, and at Putin's efforts to divide it, in a conversation well worth listening to.    More on this topic  • Eurolegalism: The Transformation of Law and Regulation in the European Union, R. Daniel Kelemen, 2011  • R. Daniel Kelemen on the causes, controversies and consequences of Brexit • An article by R. Daniel Kelemen on authoritarianism in the EU • R. Daniel Kelemen’ opinion pieces for Politico   Other references in Portuguese • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “Brexit e a Europa que temos”, with Ana Gomes and Miguel Poiares Maduro  • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “Eleições numa Europa cada vez mais fragmentada”, with Nuno Sampaio and Carlos Jalali 

How much impact did the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have on the global economy? How will technology change sectors like health or education? What is causing the slowdown in economic growth around the world? How worried should we be about inflation? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Michael Spence in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.  A Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, Michael Spence is the Philip H. Knight Professor Emeritus of Management in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford, and a Distinguished Visiting Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is an Adjunct Professor at Bocconi University in Milan, and an Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford University. Spence is a Senior Advisor to Jasper Ridge Partners and a Senior Advisor to General Atlantic Partners. He co-chairs (with Dr. Victor Fung) the Advisory Council of the Asia Global Institute and was the Chairman of The Independent Commission on Growth and Development (2006-2010).  In this episode, Spence discusses how congestion in global supply chains contributed to rising inflation, and what central banks can do to try to keep it under control. He also examines the role of the United States and China in the global economy, and how they can increase productivity growth. Spence also addresses how the labour market has changed and will continue to change because of the Covid-19 pandemic and technology. Finally, Spence considers the impact “digital nomads” coming to live in Portugal while working remotely have on the local housing market, and how the country can balance the benefits of attracting dynamic foreign entrepreneurs with the ability to ensure that the local population isn’t “priced out” of its own cities.    More on this topic  • The Next Convergence: The Future of Economic Growth in a Multispeed World, Michael Spence, 2011  • Michael Spence’s Nobel Prize Lecture, 2001  • Michael Spence (with James Manyika) on the post-Covid-19 global economy  • Michael Spence’s op-ed pieces on Project Syndicate  • “Globalization and Technology”, a debate hosted by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation    Other references in Portuguese • “O Mercado Imobiliário em Portugal”, a study by Paulo M. M. Rordrigues for the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation  • “Um novo normal? Impactos e lições de dois anos de pandemia em Portugal”, a study by Nuno Monteiro and Carlos Jalali for the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation  • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “A digitalização da vida” with José Tribolet and João Mota Lopes 

What is social mobility? How can we measure it? How can we promote it? Is the “American Dream” still alive? How did the Covid-19 pandemic impact social mobility around the world? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews John Friedman in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.  An expert on social mobility, John Friedman is a Professor of Economics at Brown University, as well as a founding co-Director of Opportunity Insights.  He studies the causes and consequences of inequality for kids, as well as policies to improve opportunity for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. His work has appeared in top academic journals as well as in major media outlets, has been cited by President Obama in his 2012 State of the Union Address, and has shaped policies at the federal, state, and local level.  Most recently, John and his colleagues at Opportunity Insights have published the Economic Tracker, providing the most granular and real-time look at how COVID-19 is affecting the economy in cities and states across America.  He worked as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the National Economic Council in the White House. He is also a Research Associate at NBER and a Co-Editor of American Economic Review.  In this episode, Friedman discusses the importance of a person’s childhood and young adulthood in shaping their adult life and how high a step in the social ladder they will be able to reach, as well as how much education – and high-quality teachers – matter to a person’s social mobility. Friedman also addresses how society limits people’s opportunities depending on the circumstances into which they were born, and how women still face more obstacles to their social mobility than men. Finally, Friedman looks at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine on social mobility in different parts of the world, in a conversation well worth listening to.    More on this topic • The Economic Tracker created by John Friedman and the Opportunity Insights team  • John Friedman on the issues identified by the Economic Tracker • An interview with John Friedman  • John Friedman on improving intergenerational mobility Other references in Portuguese • “Mobilidade Social em Portugal”, a study by Teresa Bago d’Uva and Marli Fernandes for the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation  • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “O elevador social em Portugal está estragado?” with Amílcar Moreira and Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues. 

Has the Covid-19 pandemic changed the world's balance of economic power? How important were political leaders in responding to the crisis born out of the pandemic? Has the latter led to a proliferation of propaganda and disinformation? How serious is the threat of Covid-19 when compared to other problems facing humanity, such as global warming or other public health crises? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Adam Tooze in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.  A renowned historian, commentator and author, Adam Tooze is a Professor at Columbia University in New York, where he is Director of the European Institute. In the past, he has taught at Cambridge and Yale Universities, as well as at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Tooze teaches and researches widely in the fields of twentieth century and contemporary history with a special focus on the history of economics and a range of themes in political, intellectual, and military history, across a canvas stretching from Europe to the Atlantic. His books have won awards in several countries, and his articles have been published in newspapers or magazines such as the Financial Times, New York Times, The Guardian, Sunday Telegraph, Observer, Prospect Magazine, Times Literary Supplement, London Review of Books, Wall Street Journal, New York Review of Books, Die Zeit or Spiegel.  In this episode, Tooze discusses the initial reaction of financial markets to the Covid-19 pandemic, the way in which the three major poles of the world economy (United States, the European Union and China) suffered an “extraordinary shock” with the pandemic, and how structural factors and luck were the decisive elements in each society’s response to the crisis. Tooze also addresses the challenge of global warming, the role that countries such as China, Brazil, India, or Indonesia may play in responding to this challenge, and what kind of measures will have to be adopted for this response to be successful. Finally, Tooze also looks at issues such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine (and the West’s and China’s responses), or how citizens and governments regard statistics, facts, and truth.    More on this topic • Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World's Economy, Adam Tooze, 2021 • Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World, Adam Tooze, 2018  • The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy, Adam Tooze, 2006  • A profile of Adam Tooze, 2022  • Conference “Debt and risk sharing in the EU in times of pandemic”, held by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, 2020  • “How is democracy doing?”, Timothy Snyder interviewed by Pedro Pinto  Other references in Portuguese • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “Que China sairá da pandemia?”, with António Caeiro and Marcos Caramuru de Paiva  • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “EUA ou China? Com a pandemia chegou o 'momento da escolha' para Portugal”, with Carlos Gaspar and Miguel Monjardino  • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “Como responder aos desafios das alterações climáticas?”

What challenges and threats do European democracies face today? How actually democratic are they? What is an illiberal democracy? Will democracy in Europe resist the stress-test of the Covid-19 pandemic? Was “Brexit” a vaccine against Euroscepticism? To answer this questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Catherine de Vries in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple” a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.  A political scientist and an expert on European politics, Catherine de Vries is a Dean of Diversity & Inclusion and Professor of Political Science at Bocconi University, and has published several books on the economic, political, and social reality of the European Union. A columnist of Het Financieele Dagblad (the “Dutch Financial Times”), de Vries is also a member of European Integration Committee of the Dutch Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs, and in 2013, she was selected a Young Global Leader in the World Economic Forum for her societal impact.   In this episode, de Vries discusses the impasse the European Union has found itself in since the Treaty of Lisbon, the opportunities the current crisis might present to the EU, the impact national elections such as the April 2022 French elections might have on the EU’s future, or the challenges of the energy transition, in a conversation worth listening to.    More on this topic • Euroscepticism and the Future of European Integration, Catherine de Vries, 2018  • On Euroscepticism and the future of European integration, Catherine de Vries, 2017  • Catherine de Vries and historian Timothy Garton Ash on the challenges faced by European leaders  • On why it is so hard to reach a consensus within European institutions • Conference on “What Democracy?” of the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, 2016   • On the “illiberal democracies” of Hungary and Poland, by historian Anne Applebaum  Other references in Portuguese • Essays of the Foundation: “A democracia na Europa”, by Catherine Moury;  “Qualidade da democracia em Portugal” by Conceição Pequito Teixeira;  “Instituições e qualidade da democracia: cultura política na Europa do Sul”, a study coordinated by Tiago Fernandes.  • [IN] Pertinente podcast, “Estará a democracia ameaçada?”, with Raquel Vaz-Pinto and Pedro Vieira 

What does Vladimir Putin want? What makes him so dangerous? How can he be fought? What role could countries like China play in solving the crisis of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Are we on the brink of nuclear war? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Mark Galeotti in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.  A renowned author, speaker and professor at University College London, Mark Galeotti is an expert on Russian politics and Vladimir Putin, having authored several books on these topics. With a degree in History from Robinson College in Cambridge, Galeotti directs the consultancy firm Mayak Intelligence, and has been a professor at Rutgers University in Newark, at New York University, at Charles University in Prague and at MGIMO in Moscow and has worked for the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office.  In this episode, Galeotti discusses Vladimir Putin's political career, how he is more like a judoka than a chess master, and the impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union on today’s Russia and on its leader. Galeotti also analyses the role propaganda, disinformation, and control of the media play in Putin’s grip on power, the nature of the Russian regime and Putin's relationship with its "oligarchs". Finally, Galeotti also considers the actions of the Russian armed forces in the war in Ukraine, the reasons for the difficulties they have faced, the possible impact of Western sanctions against Russia, plausible scenarios for an end to the war, and Russia's growing external isolation, in a conversation worth listening to.    More on this topic • The Vory: Russia’s Super Mafia, Mark Galeotti, 2018  • Russian Political War, Mark Galeotti, 2019  • We Need To Talk About Putin, Mark Galeotti, 2019  • The Weaponisation of Everything, Mark Galeotti, 2002  • In Moscow’s Shadows, Mark Galeotti’s podcast  • Mark Galeotti on the Russian invasion of Ukraine   • Videocast [IN] Pertinente “Where does the greatest threat to the West lie? In Moscow or Beijing?” François Heisbourg  Other references in Portuguese • Essay of the Foundation, “Rússia e Europa: uma parte do todo”, by José Milhazes • Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa, “Que Rússia é esta e como chegámos até aqui?”, with Carlos Gaspar and Sandra Fernandes • Podcast [IN] Pertinente, “É possível compreender a Rússia”, with Raquel Vaz-Pinto and Pedro Vieira  

Is it possible to predict the future? What is “data journalism”? Have polls become increasingly unreliable? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Nate Silver in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.  A statistician famous for correctly predicting the results of the 2008 US presidential election in 49 of the 50 states of the Union, Nate Silver is the founder of the website FiveThirtyEight.com, which uses “data journalism” to cover areas such as politics, science, health, and sports. Silver started out as a baseball statistical analyst (having written several books on the topic), before turning to politics and polls. In 2012, he published the book The Signal and The Noise: The Art and Science of Prediction, and has written for publications such as The New York Times, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Slate. In 2009, he was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People.  In this episode, Silver explains how his election prediction model works, as well as what probabilistic thinking is and the difference between correctly predicting who wins an election and reliably calibrating the probability that a given candidate will win. Silver also discusses the value and usefulness of polls, as well as their limitations. Finally, Silver analyses the complexity of the American electoral system and the obstacles that this (and the relatively low frequency in which elections take place) poses to the accuracy of electoral forecasts, in a conversation well worth listening to.  More on this topic • The Signal and The Noise: The Art and Science of Prediction, Nate Silver, 2012  • New York Magazine article on Nate Silver, 2008  • Newsweek article on Nate Silver, 2008  • Article about Nate Silver in The Atlantic, 2020  • Conference “How Far Can We See the Future?”, with Philip E. Tetlock at the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation  Other references in Portuguese • Essay of the Foundation “Sondagens, Eleições e Opinião Pública”, by Pedro Magalhães 

Colin Bryar, former vice-president of Amazon and Jeff Bezos' right-hand man, shares the secrets that have transformed Amazon into the world's leading e-commerce company. In this interview, he discusses the philosophy of putting the customer at the centre of all decisions, the importance of analysing the right data to understand and respond to consumer needs, and the steps that led to the company's continuous innovation. From changes in packaging - prompted by direct customer feedback - to the emergence of Amazon Web Services, which created the cloud computing industry. In addition, he explores how customer prioritisation and the intelligent use of data have shaped the company's success in the digital marketplace. Bryar also explains how companies can apply these lessons to grow, innovate and solve real problems. In this episode of ‘It's not that simple’, discover the impact of digital transformation, the future of online commerce and the strategies that continue to position Amazon at the forefront of e-commerce and technology. More on the topic: Alcott Global interview Colin Bryar's LinkedIn Agile Education interview Q&A from the Think Like Amazon podcast Commonplace Expertise interview

It's the tightest race for the White House in 60 years. CNN data reporter Harry Enten believes that Pennsylvania will be the state most likely to decide the outcome of the November 5 elections, where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump face off. In this interview, Harry Enten goes through the details of the American elections, explaining how the country's electoral system works, which is very different from those in force in Europe. «In the United States, there are 50 state elections - as well as those in the District of Columbia - and the winner in each of these states gets the electoral college votes allocated to that state», he explains. «If Donald Trump wins Florida with 50% of the vote, against 49% for Kamala Harris, all the electoral college votes from that state would go to Trump», he explains. Analyzing the national polls, Enten points out that they don't serve to predict possible winners, but only to show how close an election can be. And this one, in particular, he describes as «crazy». This race for the White House is particularly tight: “when you look at the decisive states, in all of them, the candidates are separated by less than 3 percentage points”. And that's unprecedented since there have been reliable polls in the US. Between now and election day, the candidates will have to bet on strategies that will guarantee them the support of undecided voters, and the political scientist assures us that it is their positions on the country's economy, their rhetoric and the reinforcement of television ads that could make the difference for those who have not yet decided their vote. More on the topic: Episodes of CNN's «Margins of Error» podcast Harry Enten's official X account Interview with Mediaite's Press Club Articles on the «Five Thirty-Eight» website Profile and content on CNN's website «The Forecast Fest» podcast (2020)

How does food influence mental well-being? Nutritional psychiatrist and author of the bestseller «This Is Your Brain on Food» Uma Naidoo argues that food is not only crucial for a healthy body, but also essential for a healthy mind. And the Mediterranean diet, known for its physical health benefits, can also help combat mental disorders. According to Naidoo – who leads the first and only Nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry Service in a US hospital – many diseases, such as diabetes or hypertension, are aggravated by a poor diet, and the same applies to mental health. She points out that «people don't associate food with mental and emotional well-being», but bad moods, lack of energy or anxiety can also sometimes be explained by «the level of sugar they eat». In this episode of «It's not that simple», the author explores how a healthy, nutrient-rich diet can significantly improve cognitive abilities. She highlights the intrinsic relationship between the brain and the gut, which share a common origin in embryonic cells, explaining how what we eat directly affects mental health. She also highlights how a high-sugar diet can feed harmful microbes in the gut, promoting inflammation processes that harm the body. Uma Naidoo stresses the importance of adopting a diet that avoids ultra-processed foods and includes a wide variety of vegetables, always adapted to each case and each reality. She also reminds us that a healthy diet is far from being synonymous with tastelessness. More on the topicHarvard Nutrition Expert: «These Foods FUEL Anxiety | Dr. Uma Naidoo x Rich Roll Podcast» «Ten Percent Happier» podcast interview Food And Mood» Imperfectly Perfect podcast interviewUma Naidoo's official website Uma Naidoo's instagram X's account