In the latest edition of the Business Barometer, a collaboration between Dinheiro Vivo and The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova, Rita Melo, our alumna from the International MBA Class of 2019, provides insightful comments on the alumni survey results concerning the upcoming US Elections.

 

The Lisbon MBA Alumni community recently shared their perspectives and expectations on next Tuesday’s US elections, November 4, and how the Europeans desire that Harris could bring stability to the Middle East and Ukraine at this tumultuous time in our global community. The Lisbon MBA Católica/Nova alumni barometer gives victory to Kamala Harris

 

The US elections take place this Tuesday and more than 70% of The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova alumni who took part in the institution’s alumni barometer gave the victory to the Democratic candidate.

 

Most of The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova alumni believe Kamala Harris will win next Tuesday’s US elections. 71% of those surveyed for this barometer, which had 89 responses, give the victory to the Democratic candidate, and 29% to Donald Trump. The results also show that 76% believe that if Trump wins, the impact on the global economy will be negative. At the same time, the same percentage say that a Kamala Harris mandate will positively impact the world economy. 78% believe that the Democrats could even boost the international economy.

 

Asked which would be the best electoral outcome to mitigate geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Russia’s war against Ukraine, 78% of Católica-Nova MBA alumni point to Kamala Harris, 20% to Donald Trump, and 1% say neither.

 

Rita Melo, a sustainability consultant for US multinational AECOM, working in New York, and a former Católica|Nova MBA student, says that “as a European, it’s interesting to live in New York City during this presidential election cycle,” and notes that “New York City is largely pro-Harris and follows the same opinion as the Alumni Barometer on the US elections.” However, it points out, “If one leaves most of the major Democratic-leaning cities in the US and drives just a few hours, the rural areas are generally strongly Republican. Harris and Trump are tied in the polls, with Kamala Harris leading by 1.5% on October 27, 2024,” she recalls. For this professional, in a commentary on the results of this barometer, the answers to the question about the best result to mitigate global geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine, “shows the European desire that Harris would bring stability to the Middle East and Ukraine at this tumultuous time in our global community.” However, she stresses that “none of the candidates articulated a clear plan on how to deal with these conflicts.”

 

For Rita Melo, “the reality is that both Democrats and Republicans across the spectrum have accepted large campaign contributions from lobbying organizations that support one side of the Middle East conflict, which will make it difficult to implement policies that reflect public opinion. For example, according to OpenSecrets, pro-Israel donors have contributed 59.2 million dollars so far in the 2024 election cycle, of which 56% went to Democrats and 41% to Republicans.”

 

The Portuguese manager in the US points to American citizens’ distrust of the political system. “I also observed a general lack of faith in the American political system, according to which politicians are seen as the property of their donors and do not truly represent American citizens. In this group, there is a feeling that whether Harris or Trump wins, the outcome will result in the same or similar political decisions, nationally and internationally.”

 

Personally, Rita Melo believes that “it’s time for this country to have a woman as president.”

 

 

Read the full article (original) in Portuguese here.

Source: Dinheiro Vivo