Research

       On-Going Projects 

• The Impact of Scheduled Breaks and Cyberloafing on Productivity: Evidence from a Continuous-Time Real-Effort Experiment, with Corazzini L., Fisar M., Larocca V.  Working paper (draft) available [PDF ] . 

Abstract

This paper examines how scheduled breaks and access to online distractions affect productivity in cognitively demanding tasks. We conducted a continuous-time real-effort experiment with 271 participants, generating over 57,000 second-by-second observations, enabling high frequency measurement of productivity dynamics. The findings reveal that scheduled breaks and cyberloafing have a substantial impact on performance. Importantly, combining breaks with internet access attenuates the appeal of unscheduled browsing, further sustaining performance. Notably, these effects are robust across individual difference in self-control, grit, and personality traits. The results highlight the dual role of breaks as productivity enhancers and behavioural anchors, suggesting that organisations may benefit from exploring strategic micro break policies rather than relying on restrictive internet bans.

• Restoring the Environement: An Experimental Study on Responsibility and Social Norms, with G. Andrighetto, S.Gil-Gallen, A. Guerra, E.Vriens. Data collected. Full draft available in Spring 2026.  

Abstract

Climate change and biodiversity loss increasingly require ecological restoration in addition to traditional conservation efforts. We study how individuals respond to this challenge in a laboratory experiment that explicitly links two stages of environmental decision-making: a continuous-time extraction phase, in which participants can cut trees from a shared forest, followed by a restoration phase, modelled as a linear Public Goods Game in which they can replant trees. Our objective is threefold: (i) to assess whether participation in resource depletion shapes subsequent willingness to contribute to restoration; (ii) to compare restoration behavior when environmental damage is caused by one’s own group versus another group; and (iii) to test whether revealing the presence of pluralistic ignorance about others’ sense of responsibility influences restoration decisions. To address these research questions, we implemented a between-subjects design with four conditions: Baseline, where the same group both extracts and restores; Only Extraction and Only Restoration, used to separate the two stages; and Responsibility, in which participants receive an inter-phase message highlighting pluralistic ignorance in perceived responsibility for restoration. Controlling for the game sequence effect, we found no evidence of behavioral lock-in, but rather compensatory behavior. Participants in Only Restoration contribute more to restoring the forest than those in the Baseline. Disclosing the existence of this pluralistic ignorance in the Responsibility condition reduces restoration relative to Baseline, suggesting a backfiring nudge potentially driven by strategic considerations. Overall, our findings suggest that ecological restoration is motivated by compensatory preferences rather than path dependence, and that information-based interventions may undermine restoration. Policies aimed at prevention and restoration may therefore require distinct behavioral levers. 

•  Functional Diversification and Social Capital in Organised Crime: Evidence from a Peripheral Region, with Deriu R., Dettori M.D., Pulina M. Full draft available upon request 

Abstract

This paper examines the strategic diversification of organised crime groups (OCGs) within a pivotal peripheral region undergoing increasing strategic importance in the international drug trade. Building on rational choice and socio-economic theories, it explores how OCGs transition from a violent model to an entrepreneurial model influenced by social capital and institutional contexts. Using qualitative analysis of judicial documents, media reports, and official sources, we provide comprehensive insights into this hidden phenomenon. Social capital, disentangled into bonding, bridging, linking and symbolic as a novel thread of research, is key in lowering detection risks and enabling market adaptation. The findings show that strong bonding capital underpins internal logistics, bridging and linking capital support intergroup cooperation and access to illicit markets, while symbolic capital mirrors reputational and trust mechanisms, substituting for formal legal contracts. Our conceptual framework explains how criminal organisations adapt to peripheral contexts by dynamically adjusting profit-maximisation strategies based on local market conditions.

• Do Cooperative Narratives Shape Prosocial Behavior? with Corazzini L., Fisar M. and Larocca V.

• A Field Experiment on Climate Shelters with Midoes C., , . 

     Working Papers

• Dynamics and trends of drug dealing: a local labour system perspective, with M. Pulina (2024)

Abstract

This study provides a dynamic analysis of illegal drug trafficking in the Italian region of Sardinia, using the Local Labour Systems (LLS, ISTAT) framework. Data from major regional newspapers (January 2017- De-cember 2022) were validated through institutional reports. A multivariate biplot analysis reveals an increase in drug seizures and the Island’s role as a hub for national and international drug trade, facilitated by local and traditional mafia organizations. Related crimes are also infiltrating the le-gal economy, particularly in the coastal real estate market. This study high-lights the urgent need for targeted institutional and community strategies to protect younger people, who are increasingly involved in trafficking.