ABOUT

I am Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics and Finance at Cattolica University and co-founder and Scientific Advisor of the Laboratory for Effective Antipoverty Policies (LEAP) at Bocconi University. 

I am also a Fellow at CEPR (Centre for Economic Policy Research - Development & Labor), an Affiliate at J-PAL (Jameel Poverty Action Lab), IFS (Institute for Fiscal Studies), RFBerlin, Executive Committee Member of EUDN (European Development Research Network), Council Member of the EEA (European Economic Association) and Committee Member of MinE (Minorities in Economics).

I received my PhD in Economics from Bocconi University and I was a graduate visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and at the Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES) in Stockholm. Before joining Cattolica, I held academic positions at University College London and Queen Mary University. In the 2024–25 academic year, I was a Visiting Professor at Harvard Kennedy School.

My research focuses on understanding the barriers to economic development in low-income countries and among disadvantaged people in richer ones. 

I received a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant (2020–2025) to study harmful social norms and a Fondo Italiano per la Scienza (FIS) Consolidator Grant (2025–2028) to test effective policies to improve housing fragility.

NEWS: New book! Homelessness: Data, Prevalence and Features (with M.Braga and P. Monti)