Collaborating professor at Unicamp since his retirement in 2020, economist Márcio Pochmann, 61 years old, will assume the role of president of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the body responsible for producing, analyzing, researching and disseminating demographic, social and economic factors — including inflation rates and the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
Graduated in Economic Sciences from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Pochmann completed a postgraduate degree in Political Sciences from the Higher Education Association of the Federal District and a doctorate in Economic Science from Unicamp.
A member of the group of economists linked to Unicamp characterized by the defense of economic development and national industry, Pochmann accumulates research in the areas of development, public policies and labor relations.
The teacher adds to the list of professionals who have or had a consolidated trajectory at Unicamp and who make up the first levels of the federal government. This is the case, for example, of the Minister of Institutional Relations, Alexandre Padilha, who is an infectious disease doctor trained at Unicamp and was a contributing professor of the professional master's degree courses at the University's Department of Public Health.
Another example is the economist Aloizio Mercadante, graduated from the Institute of Economics (IE), where he also taught, and who is the current president of BNDES (National Development Bank) — a bank that acts as the main instrument for executing the investment policy of the federal government.
The IE professor and director of the institute's Center for Conjuncture Studies (Cecon), Guilherme Mello, is the secretary of Economic Policy at the Ministry of Finance, and the economist Sérgio Pinheiro Firpo assumed the national secretariat for Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Policies and Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Planning.
Trajectory
A historical figure linked to the PT, Márcio Pochmann presided over the Lula Institute and the Perseu Abramo Foundation (PT foundation focused on preparing studies, debates and research). From 2007 to 2012, he commanded the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea).
In 2012 and 2016, Pochmann ran for mayor of Campinas-SP, but lost both elections. In 2018, he coordinated the economic program of the then PT presidential candidate Fernando Haddad. At the end of last year, after Lula's election, the economist was part of the government's transition team, participating in the Planning, Budget and Management group.
Márcio Pochmann will replace Cimar Azeredo, a career employee and former director of Research at the Institute, who had presided over the body on an interim basis since January 3rd. In the almost seven months that he was in charge of IBGE, Azeredo faced challenges such as the completion of the 2022 Census, hampered after successive postponements. With the support of the Minister of Planning, Simone Tebet, Azeredo coordinated a joint effort that included almost 16 million Brazilians in the population count.
Officialization of the nomination
Pochmann's appointment was a request from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said Planning Minister Simone Tebet this Thursday (27), in Brasília.
She said that there was already a consensus within the Ministry of Planning and the Palácio do Planalto that the president of IBGE would be changed and that, in recent days, she was informed that President Lula would have a name to nominate. “President Lula has not made a request to me until today. No requests within the ministry or outside. In fact, he didn't even ask me to support him in the second round, you remember that I made a statement of support before even talking to President Lula. In view of this, there is nothing more fair than meeting President Lula regardless of the name he would present”, he revealed.
Tebet added that the appointment will be made official at the appropriate time and that he should meet with Pochmann next week. “The conversation will be technical, and he will be treated as a technician, he will be very welcome to our team and will continue at IBGE as long as he serves the interests of Brazilian society”, stated the minister.
