About the programme
The Lemann Foundation Programme is a comparative research programme with an emphasis on Brazil, which generates and disseminates knowledge to improve the public sector and its associated institutions.
What can Brazil learn from other countries, and what can other countries learn from Brazil? These are the questions that the Lemann Foundation Programme explores from the point of view of the people and organisations who compose the public sector, as well as those that engage with it.
Because we want our research to have real-world impact in Brazil and beyond, we develop policy briefs, case studies, events and workshops – all taking aim at the challenges and opportunities facing those with professional responsibilities to serve their fellow citizens.
About the Lemann Foundation Programme at Oxford
Research
The Programme’s research investigates public policy impacts, management practices and institutions in the public sector. For example, we have a project that monitors the learning impacts of different degrees of education-system coordination between state and local governments; a project on the informal and formal relationships and negotiation strategies of public managers who deliver public health; a project about strengthening Brazil’s federal digital governance institution, and another focused on improving the Amazon Fund, so that it might better fulfil its potential as an exemplar climate institution for other developing countries.
Our research also tackles some of the hard, long-term challenges that the public sector in Brazil and comparator countries face, such as the bureaucracy’s lack of diversity, especially in senior roles, and how little the civil service is typically trusted by a highly unequal and polarized citizenry – the very people with whom it seeks to co-produce many public goods and services.
Related publications
Recent publications from the programme.
Engagement and community
Our engagement is intimately connected to our knowledge generation. We aim for sustained engagement so that we might build relationships, learn from our partners, and have real impact.
The Programme has convened large meetings of high-level policymakers from across the political spectrum; we hold regular panel discussions and workshops for practitioners and students; and we run executive education courses featuring case studies that we write. You can learn more about these events in our first and second-year newsletters, and view some of the discussion panels in the videos below.
The team also supports a diverse community of those who come to the Blavatnik School. Each year we invite applications from MPP students to spend their summer projects with us. we invite applications from MPP students to spend their summer projects with us.
Events
You can watch our recent events on our YouTube channel.
Blogs
Read the latest updates on our research and practitioner insights.
Blog
Dialogues
Dialogues is a series of webinars organised by the Programme and schools of government in Brazil. These discuss relevant public-sector and policy challenges that both the Programme and participating schools are working on, for the purposes of sharing insights, and identifying potential collaborations and opportunities for concrete impact.
Each webinar features presenters and discussants from the host organisations’ respective networks. The discussions are focused on presenters’ solo or co-authored work, with time after the presentations for a moderated Q&A session. Please use the contact email below if you wish to learn more.
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South-South Education Policymakers' Library
The South-South Education Policymakers' Library is a free learning resource and podcast that will enrich conversations among educational leaders in Global South countries.
Visiting fellows
We have academic and practitioner visiting-fellowship schemes that enable selected individuals to spend time at the Blavatnik School, make connections in Oxford, and reflect on practices and outcomes across countries.
The Programme’s academic fellows to date have included Guillermo Toral, assistant professor at IE University in Madrid and MIT GOV/LAB faculty affiliate; and Gabriela Lotta and Vera Monteiro, both professors at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo. Fellows of practice have included Leany Lemos, current Federal Secretary of Planning in Brazil; Pedro Cavalcante, special advisor at Brazil’s federal General Comptroller's Office; and Patrícia Sampaio Chueiri, a family and community physician, who researches and teaches on health systems.
Our fellows have contributed to the Programme by producing working papers and policy briefs, and by running workshops for students in the Blavatnik School. Fellows may be nominated by writing to the Programme at the contact email below.
Team
Liz Ribeiro
Research and Engagement Consultant
Contact
Get in touch with us by emailing lemann.foundation@bsg.ox.ac.uk or sign up to our mailing list.