My research brings together questions in public economics and in regional and urban economics. Across these fields, I study how institutions, public policies and investment decisions affect productivity, welfare, inequality and the spatial distribution of economic opportunities.
My research has involved projects funded by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, and, more recently, projects supported by CERN and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). These projects have addressed the socio-economic impact of research infrastructures, public investment appraisal, European policies and the space economy.
My work in public economics focuses on the economic role of the state, the design and evaluation of public policies, and the effects of institutional arrangements on firms and territories.
I study state-owned enterprises, public ownership and services of general interest; public investment and cost-benefit analysis, especially for large research infrastructures; and fiscal decentralization, local public finance and European policies.
I am an author of the European Commission’s Guide to Cost-Benefit Analysis of Investment Projects, a reference framework for the appraisal of public investment projects.
My research in regional and urban economics investigates how institutions, innovation and public policy shape the development of cities and regions.
A central area of work concerns smart cities, their economic effects and their implications for digital divides and urban inequality. I also study regional development, spatial inequalities and the territorial effects of infrastructure, innovation and environmental challenges.