Blog

Who owns the rainforest – and who has the right to use it – might seem like a simple question. But, in the Brazilian Amazon, that question lies at the heart of one of the world’s most persistent environmental challenges. A new study from Alexandre Gori Maia (UNICAMP) in partnership with João Paulo Mastrangelo (Universidade Federal do Acre) and Stella Schons (Virginia Tech) provides some of the strongest evidence yet that secure land tenure – not merely possessing a land title – plays a critical role in reducing deforestation and improving compliance with environmental laws.

Who is considered “fit” to have a baby? At first glance, the answer should be simple: every woman has the fundamental right to decide whether and when to have children. Yet across the world—and especially in unequal societies—some women face far greater scrutiny, stigma, and social barriers than others. A new study by Letícia Marteleto (University of Pennsylvania), Sneha Kumar (Northwestern University), Luiz Gustavo Fernandes Sereno (UNICAMP), and Alexandre Gori Maia (UNICAMP) provides some of the clearest evidence to date that social approval for childbearing is deeply stratified by race, class, and other intersecting socioeconomic characteristics.

For more than two decades, Brazil’s Bolsa Família Program (BFP) has stood at the center of global debates on poverty reduction and social policy. By transferring income to millions of low-income families, the program has transformed living conditions across the country. But one persistent question remains: do cash transfers undermine employment, or can they stimulate it? A new study by Júlia Manini Martins Bonilha and Alexandre Gori Maia (UNICAMP) provides some of the most detailed evidence to date on how Bolsa Família reshapes Brazil’s formal labor market — and for whom. 

For people with disabilities, barriers to employment remain one of the most persistent forms of social exclusion. Despite advances in anti-discrimination and affirmative policies, people with disabilities continue to face limited job opportunities, lower earnings, and vulnerable working conditions. A crucial but often overlooked question is whether health-based rehabilitation services can help bridge this gap — and under what conditions they are most effective. A new study by Daniel Morales Martínez, Alexandre Gori Maia, and Guirlanda Benevides (UNICAMP) provides evidence on how rehabilitation affects labor-market outcomes for people with disabilities in Brazil. 

Alexandre Gori Maia presented the first 2025 meeting of the Quantitative Methods Working Group for the Population Studies Center (PSC) at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) on February 10th. The presentation covered basic concepts and applications of spatial econometric models in demographic research. The PSC at UPenn is a center of excellence in population studies, bringing together researchers from diverse fields, including economics, demography, and sociology. The charming Philadelphia—the birthplace of independence, Rocky Balboa, and the Eagles, the 2025 Super Bowl champions—is the perfect place to study and live!