Who we are-en - A Ponte

Why we exist

We are a network of women with expertise in academic research and practical government experience. Our objective is to provide information to improve the design of Public Policies in Brazil. As women economists, public administrators, and even engineers, we believe that we have a lot of practical knowledge to share.

We know that women are underrepresented in politics. Despite making up more than half of the Brazilian population, women do not hold even 20% of political positions in the municipal executive and legislative branches. In the 2020 elections, there was a progress (an increase of only three percentage points in the proportion of women in the city council), but we are still far from reaching gender parity. Furthermore, when women get into politics, they suffer different types of attacks. They often find themselves lonely and unsupported.

Elected women as mayors

% from total

51.8%

% of women in the Brazilian population

2008

9,41%

2012

11,87%

2016

11,51%

2020

12,05%

Elected women as city councilors

% from Total

2008

9,62%

2012

13,33%

2016

13,5%

2020

16,1%

Women also face more challenges throughout their professional careers:

On average, women earn only 80% of what men earn, even if they work in the same company and perform the same function (Fernandes, 2013)
When promoted or elected to political office, women have higher divorce rates than men (Folke and Rickne, 2020)
They are overloaded with household chores and need to balance professional and personal life (Bertrand, 2018)
They are penalized in terms of salary for having children while men continue with their professional paths (Kleven et al., 2019)

To compensate for this, we must first create support networks to nurture and grow professionally. The inspiration to create this network came from mother nature. Trees are often thought to be solitary, but they have an underground network of fungi that connect them. They exchange messages and nutrients through this network, supporting each other’s growth.

In addition to networks, there is nothing better than knowledge to strengthen elected women. The common disconnect between academia and the design of public policies is a challenge that we want to overcome. When they do not explicitly disrespect science, many politicians and policymakers lack the necessary technical knowledge to implement effective public policies. We want to bridge these worlds to make public policies that improve public services in Brazil.

Faced with all this, Amanda de Albuquerque and Mariana Carvalho, two academics dissatisfied with this diagnosis and thirsty for transformation, got together to create A Ponte: a network of women (academics, from the public sector and the third sector) that supports women politics, providing high-level technical, academic and practical knowledge. By implementing rigorous public policies, we want to show society that a woman’s place is also in politics. Together we go further!

Our Differential

KNOWLEDGE + DIVERSITY + TRANSVERSALITY

A Ponte offers in-depth knowledge about building public policies, data and evidence, and ongoing technical support. We are a 100% women’s network. Public policy issues are multidimensional. Our expertise is to think and dialogue with all these dimensions.

(1) Ability to dialogue with different views on approaching the problem.

(2) Innovation in how to think about the Public Policy Cycle: we use the Theory of Change approach, focusing on the diagnosis and design of public policies that deliver services and solutions to citizens.

Founders

Amanda de Albuquerque

Ph.D. student in Economics at PUC-Rio, Amanda worked at the Ministry of Social Development and as coordinator of an RCT with the Ministry of Health of Mozambique. She currently teaches a course on public policy for undergraduate students at PUC-Rio. His research areas focus on Agriculture, Health, and Environment.

Contact: amanda@redeaponte.org

Mariana Carvalho

Doctoral student in Political Science at the University of California, San Diego, Master in Public Administration and Economist by training. She worked at the Pereira Passos Institute of the Municipality of Rio and coordinated a project on drug theft in the health sector in Malawi. She researches topics related to political violence, organized crime, and corruption.

Contact: mariana@redeaponte.org

Mission, vision, and values

Mission

Engage women (academics, public sector, and third sector) to share their knowledge to support and promote women in politics through quality public policies.

Vision

More qualified women occupying public sector decision-making positions to build public policies based on evidence to be more effective.

Values

VOICE for women to participate more in the debate and occupy decision-making positions.
KNOWLEDGE to base decisions on data and evidence.
CONNECTION between academia and the public sector to enhance the effectiveness of public policies.