Alessandro Del Ponte, Ph.D.

Welcome!

I am an Assistant Professor of Global Political Economy in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alabama.

I enjoy working with colleagues across different subfields and disciplines to tackle the pressing questions of our time. My focus is on better understanding how citizens and governments respond to crises.

Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University at the Center for the Study of American Politics in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies and a Research Fellow at the Global Asia Institute at the National University of Singapore.

I earned my Ph.D. in May 2019 from the Center for Behavioral Political Economy in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University.

You can view my CV here.

My latest research on the role of historical emissions in climate negotiations is featured in the Nature Portfolio blog on Earth & Environment. You can read about my research on elite rhetoric and austerity and nationalism, patriotism, and support for the EU in the LSE-EUROPP blog by the London School of Economics. You can also read about my research on spending and saving in times of crisis in Psychology Today, and listen to a podcast of mine on the Covid-19 crisis on Behavioral Grooves.

Here are the links to my Google Scholar, Publons, and ResearchGate profiles.

You can contact me at: adelponte@ua.edu

Play Games!

See below a selection of online games that I programmed for my research with Peter DeScioli and Benjamin Carter:

Saving and Spending Games: With uncertain income, players decide whether to save or spend.
- You can read the published article in Cognition which is featured in Psychology Today.
Debt Game: Feeling like you cannot keep up with monthly expenses? Get a little help from the bank. But: beware of interest!
Voting and Taxes Game: Players receive low or high income and then vote on the tax rate.
- You can read the published article in Behavior Research Methods.
Hurricane Game: With uncertain income, players decide whether to save or spend. But: beware of hurricanes, which will destroy any savings.

Research Interests & Background

I am an experimental political scientist. My work lies at the intersection of behavioral political economy and political psychology, where I specialize in social identity theory and intergroup conflict. My research explores the question: How do citizens and governments respond to crises? I use a variety of research techniques: incentivized economic experiments (online & lab), survey experiments, and panel data analysis.

I work on two complementary lines of research:

Behavioral political economy & political psychology of crises:
- How do crises affect people's economic and political decisions?
  - Voting on redistribution
  - Spending & saving efficiency
  - Climate responsibility for future generations
  - Acceptance of migrants
  - Acceptance of default on international debt
Social identity theory & Intergroup conflict:
Nationalism, patriotism, & their effects on political attitudes in American and European politics
- How does foreign elite rhetoric affect citizens' emotions and attitudes toward austerity?
- Effects of national identity, pride, and chauvinism on:
  - - - Attitudes toward globalization
        Voting for neo-nationalist parties
        Choosing populist candidates
Partisan identity & affective polarization in American and European politics
- How does the mind make welfare tradeoffs about political parties?
- Can partisan identity be a stabilizing force in multiparty systems in times of crisis?

Background

Prior to graduate school, I worked as the assistant (equivalent of Principal Private Secretary) and advisor to a former Italian Prime Minister, In addition, I worked for New York State's Counsel to the Majority Leader's office at the New York State Assembly. I also conducted research and wrote policy briefs for the European Commission on the monetary and fiscal implications of the Eurozone crisis.

I earned an MSc in Economics and Management of Public Administration and International Organizations from Bocconi University, a Master of Public Administration from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy (SUNY Albany), and a BSc in Economics from the University of Genoa.

Research

Journal Articles

Information about Historical Emissions Drives the Division of Climate Change Mitigation Costs

Del Ponte, A., Masiliunas, A. & Lim, N. (2023). Information about Historical Emissions Drives the Division of Climate Change Mitigation Costs. Nature Communications 14(1), 1408. [link]

Partisanship in Times of Crisis: Evidence from Italy

Bankert, A., Del Ponte, A., & Huddy, L. (2023). Partisanship in Times of Crisis: Evidence from Italy. Political Science Research and Methods, 11, 1-17. [link]

Pay Your Debts: Moral Dilemmas of International Debt

Del Ponte, A., & DeScioli, P. (2022). Pay Your Debts: Moral Dilemmas of International Debt. Political Behavior, 44(4), 1657-1680. [link]

Change of Air Quality Knowledge, Perceptions, Attitudes, and Practices During and Post-Wildfires in the United States

Del Ponte, A., Ang, L., Li, L., Lim, N., Tam, W.S.W., & Seow, W.J. (2022). Change of air quality knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and practices during and post-wildfires in the United States. Science of the Total Environment, 836, 155432. [link]

Integrating Web Applications into Popular Survey Platforms for Online Experiments

Carter, B., & Del Ponte, A. (2022). Integrating Web Applications into Popular Survey Platforms for Online Experiments. Behavior Research Methods. [link]

Development and Validation of a New Scale to Assess Air Quality Knowledge (AQIQ)

Del Ponte, A., Ang, L., Li, L., Lim, N., Tam, W.S.W., & Seow, W.J. (2022). Development and Validation of a New Scale to Assess Air Quality Knowledge (AQIQ). Environmental Pollution, 299, 118750. [link]

One-Way Routes Complicate Cooperation in Migrant Crises

Del Ponte, A., DeScioli, P., Masiliunas, A., & Lim, N. (2021). One-Way Routes Complicate Cooperation in Migrant Crises. Scientific Reports, 11, 13529. [link]

Financial and Trade Relationships between the Eurozone and China in the Age of Resilience

Del Ponte, A., Canofari, P., & De Dominicis, A. (2021). Financial and Trade Relationships between the Eurozone and China in the Age of Resilience. Asia Europe Journal, 19(4), 489-506. [link]

Nationalism, Patriotism, and Support for the European Union

Huddy, L., Del Ponte, A., & Davies, C. (2021). Nationalism, Patriotism, and Support for the European Union. Political Psychology, 42(6), 995-1017. [link]

Altruism and Spite in Politics: How the Mind Makes Welfare Tradeoffs About Political Parties

Del Ponte, A., Delton, A., & DeScioli, P. (2021). Altruism and Spite in Politics: How the Mind Makes Welfare Tradeoffs About Political Parties. Political Behavior, 43, 1289-1310. [link]

The Influence of Foreign Elite Rhetoric: National Identity, Emotions, and Attitudes toward Austerity

Del Ponte, A. (2021). The Influence of Foreign Elite Rhetoric: National Identity, Emotions, and Attitudes toward Austerity. European Union Politics, 22(1), 155-178. [link]

Featured in the London School of Economics blog on European Politics & Policy (LSE-EUROPP)

Spending Too Little in Hard Times

Del Ponte, A. , & DeScioli, P. (2019). Spending Too Little in Hard Times. Cognition, 183 (1), 139-151. [link]

Featured in Psychology Today

Chinese and European Financial Systems: Instability Drivers and Contagion Channels

Canofari, P., & Del Ponte, A. (2018). Chinese and European Financial Systems: Instability Drivers and Contagion Channels. International Advances in Economic Research, 24 (4), 311-324. [link]

- Publication Award, Institute of European Studies of Macau, China (September 2018)

Passing It Along: Experiments on Creating the Negative Externalities of Climate Change

Del Ponte, A. , Delton, A.W., Kline, R., & Seltzer, N. (2017). Passing It Along: Experiments on Creating the Negative Externalities of Climate Change. The Journal of Politics, 79 (4), 1444-1448. [link]

Book Chapters & Invited Publications

Join or Die: How Deontological Moral Intuitions Complicate Cooperation amid the Covid-19 Pandemic

Del Ponte, A. (2023). Join or Die: How Deontological Moral Intuitions Complicate Cooperation amid the Covid-19 Pandemic. Forum Italicum. [link]

The Rise of Populism in the USA: Nationalism, Race, and American Party Politics

Huddy, L., & Del Ponte, A. (2021). The Rise of Populism in the USA: Nationalism, Race, and American Party Politics. In J. P. Forgas, W. Crano, & K. Fiedler (Eds.), The Psychology of Populism: The Tribal Challenge to Liberal Democracy. Routledge. [link]

Prospect Theory, Loss Aversion, and Political Behavior

Passarelli, F., & Del Ponte, A. (2020). Prospect Theory, Loss Aversion, and Political Behavior. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Oxford University Press. [link]

Reprinted in Redlawsk, D. P. (2021). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Political Decision Making. Oxford University Press. [link]

Behavioral Analysis in the Study of Politics: The Conflict Laboratory

Del Ponte, A., Kline, R., & Ryan, J.B. (2020). Behavioral Analysis in the Study of Politics: The Conflict Laboratory. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Oxford University Press. [link]

Reprinted in Redlawsk, D. P. (2021). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Political Decision Making. Oxford University Press. [link]

National Identity, Pride, and Chauvinism - their Origins and Consequences for Globalization Attitudes

Huddy, L., & Del Ponte, A. (2019). National Identity, Pride, and Chauvinism – their Origins and Consequences for Globalization Attitudes. In G. Gustavsson & D. Miller (Eds.), Liberal Nationalism and Its Critics: Normative and Empirical Questions (pp. 38-58). Oxford: Oxford University Press. [link]

Articles Under Review

Evaluating SoJump.com, a crowdsourcing platform for online research in China (with Lianjun Li, Noah Lim, & Wei Jie Seow)
Give some to get some: Do people understand the cost and benefits of redistribution? (with Benjamin Carter & Peter DeScioli)
Pledge-and-Review, Penalties, and Reputation Do Not Curb Emissions: Evidence from a Climate Change Experiment (with Aidas Masiliunas & Noah Lim)

European Commission (RAstaNEWS Project)

Articles:

Del Ponte, A. (2016). From Bail-Out to Bail-In: Bank Defaults, Sovereign Risk,and the Role of the European Central Bank. [link]

Del Ponte, A. (2015). The Swinging Pendulum Between Rules and Discretion: Asymmetric Shocks and Democratic Deficit in the Eurozone. [link]

Del Ponte, A., Riva, L., and Villa, M. (2015). Structural Reforms in the Eurozone: Beyond the Juncker Curse. [link]

Policy – Focused Publications:

Del Ponte, A. (2015). Fiscal Consolidation and Monetary Policy in the Eurozone. [link]

Del Ponte, A. (2015). Macroeconomic Heterogeneity in the Eurozone. [link]

Del Ponte, A. (2015). Countercyclical Policies in Deleveraging Crises and Deep Recessions. [link]

Del Ponte, A. (2015). Monetary Policy and Macroeconomic Stability. [link]

Scientific Reports

Canofari, P., Del Ponte, A., & Passarelli, F. (2017). Sovereign Risk, Bank Defaults and the Role of Central Banks in the Eurozone and China. Institute of European Studies of Macau, China.

Book Reviews (in Italian)

The Hidden Agenda of the Political Mind: How Self-Interest Shapes Our Opinions and Why We Won’t Admit It , by Jason Weeden and Robert Kurzban, MicroMega, Il Rasoio di Occam, Sep 21, 2015. [link]

Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind, by Robert Kurzban, MicroMega, Il Rasoio di Occam, Aug 27, 2015. [link]

Justice: What Is the Right Thing to Do?, by Michael Sandel, MicroMega, Il Rasoio di Occam, Oct 20, 2014. [link]

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie To Everyone Especially to Ourselves, by Dan Ariely, MicroMega, Il Rasoio di Occam, Sep 18, 2014. [link]

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt, MicroMega, Il Rasoio di Occam, Aug 26, 2014. [link]

Moral Tribes: Emotions, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them, by Joshua Greene, MicroMega, Il Rasoio di Occam, Mar 13, 2014. [link]

Non-Peer Reviewed Publications (in Italian)

Del Ponte, A. (2012). Stato, cittadini e social norms: come la Behavioral Economics puo’ salvarci dalla crisi, Queste Istituzioni, 162. [link]

Del Ponte, A., Gasparre, A., and Pellizzetti, P.. 2011. Il Capitalismo dei Gatekeepers. Queste Istituzioni, 160-161: 111-125. [link]

Del Ponte, A. (2011), Uscire dalla crisi: il vero deus ex machina siamo noi. In Del Ponte, A. (ed.), I Classici al Caffe’, Centrum Latinitatis Europae, Genova. [link]