It’s not that simple Fundação (FFMS)

«There is nothing more permanent than a temporary migrant. Don't create any illusions that a fair share of migrants in not going to stay», says sociologist Hein de Haas, in this episode of «It's Not That Simples», a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.



One of the most enlightened but also thought provocative voices of migrations, Hein de Haas explains that this hot topic of today is neither a phenomenon nor a novelty. «Migration is part and parcel of who we are as human beings, as a society», he explains, emphasizing that migratory movements have been taking place «for as long as humanity has existed».

The difference lies in Europe's position in this chessboard, having shifted from being a point of departure (in colonialism or world wars) to being a continent where citizens from all over the world arrive. 

Highlighting that it is impossible to stop this movement, the sociologist warns against the hypocrisy of policies that punish migrants instead of those who accept them illegally. «In the United States, the number of employers who are prosecuted each year for employing undocumented migrants is between 10 and 15 a year, with no zeros», he claims.

«If you would really be serious as a politician when you say 'I want to combat smuggling, I want to combat illegal migration'... If you really want to do that, you better punish employers», Hein de Haas explains, adding that the lack of consequences for those who employ them fuels exploitation and abuse.

Breaking down the false narratives on this issue - from the left, which sees immigrants as «victims and refugees», and from the right, which speaks of the threat of those who «arrive to steal jobs» - the expert believes that these discourses hide the real problem: the fact that «in Western Europe and the US, there is the biggest labor shortage ever, especially of low-skilled migrants».



For further info: 


Hein de Haas's blog
Interview with «Observador»
How To Academy Podcast
Hein de Haas' X (formerly Twitter)
Selection of videos from the official website
Interview with the International Migration
Institute on migration in Morocco
Interview with Melissa Siegel

Two dollars (about 1.85 euros) per day to cover all needs. This is the benchmark set by the World Bank to define extreme poverty, already accounting for differences in purchasing power among different countries around the globe. 

Esther Duflo, awarded with the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2019 for her work on alleviating extreme poverty, provides insights on how to address inequalities. The author advocates for «practical solutions», arguing that "it is much easier to think about the effect of something than its cause" and reveals how small measures can have a significant impact.

 The economist advocates a methodology based on a "plumber mentality." With this strategy, she demonstrates how important it is to experiment various solutions until arriving at one that solves the problem.

In this interview, the Nobel laureate in Economics explains how small changes in access to healthcare and education have long-term implications for the lives of the poorest. Using the example of deworming children in Kenya, she demonstrates how this measure has led to health improvements but also contributed to a reduction in school absenteeism, providing students with better learning outcomes. 

Throughout the conversation, Esther Duflo also emphasizes the contribution of immigration to the economies of countries, explaining that the workforce and youth of immigrants contribute to the development of nations rather than impoverishing them.

In the fight against poverty, climate change is fueling new inequalities: the wealthiest countries are the major polluters, but it is the poorest who are suffering the most intense consequences of the climate crisis. Duflo thus calls for a global approach to this problem.

For further info: 


Nobel Prize; 
Prize Lecture: Esther Duflo, Prize in Economic Sciences 2019; 
HEC TALKS with Esther Duflo: Good Economics for Warmer Times; 
Ted Talk “Experimentos sociais para combater a pobreza”;
MIT Esther Duflo, Randomized Controlled Trials and Policy Making in Developing Countries; 
A Podcast of One's Own with Julia Gillard - Nobel Prize winner Esther Duflo on economics as a lever of action for the world;
Ted Talk "Taken for Granted: Esther Duflo wants you to think like a plumber"; 
The Guardian article; 
El Pais Brasil interview

What’s it like to be a teenager these nowadays? What challenges do they face? How can adults contribute to their well-being? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Lisa Damour in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.

A clinical psychologist, Damour is the author of three New York Times best sellers: Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. She co-hosts the Ask Lisa podcast, works in collaboration with UNICEF, and is recognized as a thought leader by the American Psychological Association. Damour is also a regular contributor to The New York Times and CBS News. She serves as a Senior Advisor to the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University and has written numerous academic papers, chapters, and books related to education and child development. She maintains a clinical practice and speaks to schools, professional organizations, and corporate groups around the world on the topics of child and adolescent development, family mental health, and adult well-being. Damour graduated with honors from Yale University and worked for the Yale Child Study Center before earning her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Michigan. She has been a fellow at Yale’s Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy and the University of Michigan’s Power Foundation. She and her husband are the proud parents of two daughters. 

In this episode, Damour explains why it is harder to be a teenager now than it was decades ago. She also explores how social media and the digital world affect teenagers and their well-being, while considering the differences between boys and girls in the way they engage with the digital environment. Damour then advises parents to “go slow” on giving their kids access to digital technology and social media. Furthermore, she discusses the role and impact of “caring adults” on a teenager’s mental health. Finally, she warns parents about what kinds of behavior should make them worry about their teenage kids, in a conversation well worth listening to.



More on this topic


Untangled: Guiding teenage girls through the seven transitions into adulthood, Lisa Damour, 2016;
Under Pressure: Confronting the epidemic of stress and anxiety in girls, Lisa Damour, 2019;
The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents, Lisa Damour, 2023;
Ask Lisa, Damour’s podcast
Lisa Damour on “What’s Going On With Teenagers?”;
Lisa Damour on “The Emotional (and Sometimes Chaotic) Life of Teenagers”;
Lisa Damour on the “3 Steps of Anxiety Overload – and How You Can Take Back Control”
Lisa Damour on teen mental health
“The teenage brain”, a conference held by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation



Other references in Portuguese:  


Podcast Da Capa à Contracapa “Os Adolescentes, as suas vidas, o seu futuro”, with Margarida Gaspar de Matos and Daniel Sampaio
Podcast Aqui Entre Nós, “Como crescem os portugueses” with André Rodrigues and Maria do Céu Machado
Podcast [IN]Pertinente “E se procurássemos compreender a adolescência?”, with Ana Markl and Rui Costa Lopes
•Essay of the Foundation “Adolescentes”, by Maria do Céu Machado
Essay of the Foundation “Adolescentes: As suas Vidas, o seu Futuro”, by Margarida Gaspar de Matos

How important is the European Union? What is its role in today’s world? Is it still too distant from European citizens? How can it better reach out to young people? To answer these questions, José Maria Pimentel interviews the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.

As President of the European Parliament (EP), Roberta Metsola is also the Head of the Partit Nazzjonalista (PN) Delegation, one of the political forces within the European People’s Party Group in the European Parliament. 

A lawyer by profession, specializing in European law and politics, Roberta graduated in 2003, the same year that her country Malta, decided to join the European Union. She was first elected as an MEP for Malta and Gozo in 2013, being re-elected in 2014 and 2019 and becoming in this way, one of the first Maltese women elected to the EP.

In 2020, Metsola was elected as the First Vice-President of the European Parliament, during this time, she was responsible for the EP's relations with national parliaments and for the Parliament's participation in the interreligious and non-confessional dialogue. On 18th January 2022 Roberta Metsola was elected President of the European Parliament, becoming the youngest ever person to occupy this role.

In this episode, Metsola discusses her efforts to talk with young people in every country she visits, to persuade them to engage with politics and the European Union (EU). She addresses the perception that “Brussels is too far away” and what can be done to change that. Metsola also explains how much Malta becoming a member of the EU changed her country for the better. She then talks about her term as President of the EP and the many crises the EU has had to face during that time. Finally, Metsola considers the specific role of the EP within the EU’s institutional framework, and its impact on people’s lives, in a conversation well worth listening to. More on this topic


Roberta Metsola’s State of Europe Speech - 9th November 2023
Roberta Metsola debating the “Future of Europe” with Paulo Rangel and Guy Verhofstadt
Roberta Metsola’s speech at the World Leaders Forum at Columbia University - 18th September 2023

Other references in Portuguese


Essay of the Foundation “O Futuro da União Europeia”, by Eugénia da Conceição
Essay of the Foundation “Eleições na União Europeia”, by Nuno Sampaio
“Não se abstenha: três razões e mais uma para votar nas eleições europeias”, an essay by Nuno Sampaio
Essay of the Foundation “A Democracia na Europa”, by Catherine Moury
“Portugal nas decisões europeias”, a study coordinated by Alexander Trechsel and Richard Rose for the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation
“Os futuros da Europa”, an essay by Teresa de Sousa
“Afinal que Europa é que queremos?”, a debate held by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, with Carlos Moedas, Elisa Ferreira, Eugénia da Conceição and Lívia Franco

What does the world look like today? What can explain the many wars currently taking place around the globe? Will conflicts like the one in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians ever end? How dangerous is the Russian war against Ukraine? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Simon Sebag Montefiore in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. 

In this episode, Montefiore discusses his latest book The World: A Family History of Humanity, a world history written with the grit of a biography, which uses family, the one thing all humans have in common, to tell the story of humanity, and examines how the current “world disorder” is just the end of “what we thought was the way the world normally worked”, describing this “new disorder” as a “multiplayer computer game” in which an array of continental powers and aspiring superpowers are challenging the United States.   

Montefiore also addresses Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7th and the war in Gaza, stating that the only way out is a "two-state solution", each with new leaderships. 

The bestselling author of history and novels, awarded several prizes for his previous books, including Jerusalem: The Biography, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar and The Romanovs, then expresses his concerns about the danger of nuclear proliferation, before considering the Russian invasion Ukraine and why the West must help the latter in fighting of the former. Finally, Montefiore delves into what might happen if Donald Trump is once again elected President of the United States in the 2024 election, in a conversation well worth listening to.  

More on this topic


Montefiore’s essay in The Atlantic on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Montefiore’s interview on CNN Portugal
Montefiore discussing his book The World: A Family History of Humanity at The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center in New York
An interview with Montefiore on The World: A Family History of Humanity
Montefiore on “The Power of Family Dynasties”
An interview with Montefiore about his book Jerusalem: The Biography
Catherine the Great and Potemkin, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2001
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2003
Young Stalin, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2007
Monsters: History's Most Evil Men and Women, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2008
Jerusalem: The Biography, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2011
Titans of History, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2012
The Romanovs 1613–1918, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2016
The World: A Family History of Humanity, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2022

What are “Blue Zones”? Where in the world do people live better and healthier lives? What makes them live longer and healthier? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Dan Buettner in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation.

The author of five books on longevity and happiness, Buettner discovered the five places in the world—dubbed Blue Zones—where people lived the longest, healthiest lives and shared this information with the world. His books were all national bestsellers. Together with his writing, Buettner works in partnership with municipal governments, large employers, and health insurance companies to implement Blue Zones Projects in communities, workplaces, and universities. He is also a three-time Guinness World Record distance cycling holder.

In this episode, Buettner explains what he means by “Blue Zones”: the five areas of the world where people live the longest, healthiest lives. He considers how our environment (the food we eat, our social habits, our incentives) affects our quality of life. Buettner then explores how factors like family or a sense of purpose can contribute to a longer life expectancy, and highlights how a “peasant diet” is an essential element of the “Blue Zone” life. Buettner also discusses what people in countries like the United States are doing wrong that makes them live shorter and less healthy lives than people in the “Blue Zones”. He also talks about his work with city governments in the United States to develop and implement policies to nudge people to adopt better habits and improve their well-being. Finally, he addresses the potential negative consequences of a longer life, in a conversation well worth listening to.More on this topic


The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, Dan Buettner, 2008
Thrive. Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way, Dan Buettner, 2010
The Blue Zones, Second Edition: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, Dan Buettner, 2012
The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World's Healthiest People, Dan Buettner, 2015
The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100, Dan Buettner, 2019
The Blue Zones Challenge: A 4-Week Plan for a Longer Better Life, Dan Buettner, 2021
 Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, the Netlifx series about the “Blue Zones”
Dan Buettner on Learning from the World’s Happiest People
Dan Buettner on Who are the Happiest People on Earth
Dan Buettner on The Blue Zones of Happiness”
Podcast It’s Not That Simple The challenge of longevity, with Andrew J. Scott