I am a PhD candidate in Economics (Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Public Governance, Management and Policy) at the University of Bologna, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Natalia Montinari, and Prof. Dr. Veronica Rattini.

My research sits at the intersection of the economics of education and gender economics, with a focus on cultural and socio-economic inequalities in educational attainment and future aspirations. I apply both quantitative and qualitative methods to produce rigorous, policy-relevant insights.

While primarily an economist, I also work on questions in political science — contributing to a project at the European University Institute. From November 2025 to April 2026, I was a visiting researcher at the Center for Research on Social Inequalities (CRIS) at Sciences Po, Paris, hosted by Prof. Dr. Carlo Barone. I hold a bachelor's degree in Political and Social Sciences and a master's in Political Economy.

What's next

14th SIdE Workshop for PhD students in Econometrics and Empirical Economics
Side-IEA, Perugia, 3-4 September 2026

5th NSE PhD and Postdoctoral Workshop
Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance, Naples, 14-15 September 2026

Annual Scientific Meeting of the Italian Society of Economics
SIE, Cagliari, 22-24 October 2026

LIVES International Research Days 2026
LIVES, Lausanne, 4-5 November 2026

If you want to discuss research or exchange ideas, please do not hesitate to reach out at: cristina.specchi2(at)unibo(dot)it