Prof. Inácio Bó presenting his work at the 29th International Congress of CLAD on State Reform and Public Administration
Prof. Inácio Bó in meeting with Zara Figueiredo, Secretary of the Department of Continuing Education, Youth and Adult Literacy, Diversity, and Inclusion (SECADI) at Brazil’s Ministry of Education
Associate Professor Inácio Bó, from the Department of Economics at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau, recently visited Brasília, Brazil, to participate in significant discussions and collaborations at the intersection of market design, public administration, and education policy. His visit reflected a rare but impactful application of economic theory to real-world challenges.
Prof. Bó was a speaker at the 29th International Congress of CLAD on State Reform and Public Administration(26–29 November 2024), a major event that gathers policymakers, academics, and practitioners to debate innovative solutions in governance. He participated in a panel alongside members of Brazil’s Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services. His presentation, titled “Using Market Design in the Design of the Unified National Public Examination,” highlighted how methodologies from market design were applied to optimize Brazil’s Unified National Public Examination (UNPE), a groundbreaking reform to the public servant selection process.
The UNPE is an ambitious initiative launched to streamline recruitment for federal government positions, involving over 2 million candidates competing for 6,640 positions across 21 government bodies in its first edition, which is currently taking place. In his talk, Prof. Bó described how the process addressed complex challenges, such as enabling candidates to apply for multiple positions without compromising the fairness of affirmative action policies or the efficiency of final allocations. The use of rigorous allocation mechanisms from market design ensured that the process remained equitable and transparent, reflecting a pivotal innovation in public administration.
Alongside his participation at the congress, Prof. Bó engaged in strategic meetings with officials from the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services. Discussions focused on further improving the design and logistics of the allocation mechanism behind the UNPE, ensuring it will set a benchmark in efficient and inclusive recruitment systems. This work stands out as a rare, real-world application of economic theory, demonstrating how market design can solve practical challenges faced by public institutions.
In the education sector, Prof. Bó also met with Zara Figueiredo, Secretary of the Department of Continuing Education, Youth and Adult Literacy, Diversity, and Inclusion (SECADI) at Brazil’s Ministry of Education. The discussions centered on Prof. Bó’s proposed measures of educational achievement, which incorporate indicators of racial inequality. These measures aim to help policymakers identify and target public schools where interventions to reduce achievement gaps can be most impactful, improving the allocation of resources and outcomes for marginalized communities.
Further discussions with technical staff at SECADI underscored a shared commitment to evidence-based policymaking and innovation in education. In addition, Prof. Bó met with Adriano Senkevics, economist at the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA) and co-author of a study that influenced Brazil’s national affirmative action policies in university admissions starting in 2024. They explored future collaborations and opportunities to access detailed educational data for new research projects.