March 5th, 2014 · The New School · New York

The 2013-2014 President Néstor Kirchner Fellow, Fernando Kleiman, from Brazil, ended his stay in New York with a public lecture at The New School, where he presented his work related to productive inclusion. The lecture took place after two weeks in which he held meetings and seminars with professors, graduate students and experts related to his research, with whom he had exchanges and discussions that enriched his project.

The research carried out by Fernando, an economist who works as adviser to the Minister of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger in Brazil, is entitled “Productive Inclusion: decent labor as a right and not as obligation.¨ In his paper, Fernando explores the problem of job creation and income generation in the low-income sectors in the urban areas of Brazil, and proposes alternatives related to solidary economy to improve the situation.

Seminars at The New School

Between February 24th and March 5th, Fernando was received by the academic community at The New School, where he was able to share his experience, hold debates about his work and receive contributions and suggestions to improve it.

In his first seminar, the participants were Margarita Gutman, programs director at the Observatory on Latin America; Nidhi Srinivas, Professor of Non-profit Management; Rachel Meltzer, Assistant Professor of Urban Policy; Chris London, Assistant Professor of Practice, International Affairs; Desiree LaVecchia, coordinator of the Observatory on Latin America; and graduate students from different programs of The New School.

The second seminar, held a week later, counted with the participation of Michael Cohen, director of the Graduate Program in International Affairs; Margarita Gutman, Rick McGahey, director of Environmental Policy and Sustainable Management; Alec Gershberg, Professor of Urban Policy; Barry Herman, Visiting Fellow; Robert Buckley, Professor of Urban Policy; Sakiko Fukuda Parr, Professor of Development; and various International Affairs graduate students.

Interviews in New York

During his visit, Fernando had the opportunity to hold meetings with professors and experts related to his field to discuss his work and exchange ideas. He met with the following The New School Professors: Richard Wolf; Darrick Hamilton; Carlos Texeira; David Howell; Steven Miller; Anwar Shaikh; Andrew White; Eli Zaretsky; Rachel Meltzer; and Robert Buckley. Also, he met with Sonia Ospina, Professor at New York University; Albert Fishlow, Professor at Columbia University; and Salo Coslovsky, New York University Professor.

Fernando held other meetings with the Dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy, Michelle de Pass and the Director of the Graduate Program in International Affairs Michael Cohen.

Public Lecture

Before a packed room, Fernando presented his work as part of the conference entitled “Policy and Practice for Inclusion: Brazil and Colombia,” on March 5th, 2014.

Margarita Gutman, Director of the President Néstor Kirchner Fellowship from The New School, introduced the Executive Dean of the The New School for Public Engagement David Scobey, who highlighted the importance of the program within the university and for South America. The Brazilian Consul in New York, Ana Cabral, presented Fernando’s work, praising his contribution for the development and labor policies related to inclusion her country is carrying out.

The economist then presented his work on productive inclusion before an interested audience, which included general public, graduate students and professors. He referred to his experience working for the Brazilian government, within a framework related to the concept of decent work. He also highlighted the contributions he obtained during the meetings he held with professors and specialists during his stay in New York. The lecture was very well received by the audience.

Fernando’s presentation was followed by that of the Colombian fellow who carried out his fellowship at the same time. After a speech by the Colombian Consul in New York, Elsa Gladys Cifuentes Aranzazu, María Villa presented her work carrying out mediations between contemporary art pieces and different audiences in Bogota. María, a philosopher and art editor, presented her paper “Meaningful Experiences in Art Mediation.” During her presentation, María reflected on the projects she carried out with the aim of overcoming the existing gap between art and spectators.

The event concluded with exchanges between the lecturers and the audience, moderated by David Scobey.

+ What is it like to be a President Néstor Kirchner Fellow?, by Fernando Kleiman

+ Public Lecture by María Villa and Fernando Kleiman, 2013-2014 PNK Fellows

+ Read Fernando Kleiman’s working paper

+ Watch the Public Lecture video