About 

Dr. Tabacco is a researcher in applied microeconomics. He does research in several fields such as microeconomics of development, industrial organization, competition economics, and labor economics by employing a wide range of research methodologies: laboratory experiments, discrete choice experiments and econometric methods.

After completing an MA, MPhil, and PhD in Economics at the University of East Anglia School of Economics, from 2012 to 2014 Dr. Tabacco collaborated with Dr. Andrea Mantovani on a research project at the Department of Economic Sciences of the University of Bologna. After that, at the end of August 2014 he moved to Wales at Swansea University to take up a post as Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Economics and remained there until end of October 2019. Since then, Dr. Tabacco has been dedicating his efforts to contribute to economic research by publishing in international peer-reviewed journals. In Autumn 2019 Dr. Tabacco visited as Research Assistant Professor the Laboratory of Experimental Economics at the Jaume I University in Castellón (Spain), and in February 2020 he visited Brunel University Economics Division. 

Since August 2025 Dr. Tabacco started to serve as book author at Palgrave Macmillan, and he will do so until 30th March 2026, writing the title: A new methodology in Development Economics: Integrating service design (SD) with discrete choice experiments (DCE). In addition, from September to December 2025 Dr. Tabacco was delighted to have taken a position as contract lecturer at Statale University of Milan.

Dr. Tabacco has received Italian Scientific Habilitation as Associate Professor in Economic Policy from 27/10/2025 to 27/10/2037.

From 2 to 27 of February 2026, Dr. Tabacco was a Visiting Fellow at the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeastern European Studies (IOS) Economics Department working on the research project: "Entry, market size and competition in local labor markets". 

Dr. Tabacco is available for select consulting projects using his research. Clients work directly with Dr. Tabacco, who personally performs the whole assigned work from conception to completion. 

Current consulting focus

I am available for select consulting projects on development economics involving development interventions both in the Global South and Global North using quantitative economics and qualitative methods. This area directly builds on my peer-reviewed published academic research. If your organization is involved in the design and implementation of development programs and interventions to put into effect the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), please get in touch at:

Email: giovanni.tabacco7@gmail.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovanni-alberto-tabacco-4b054522a/ 

ResearchGate: www.researchgate.net/profile/Giovanni_Tabacco 

Design of Development Interventions

I provide rigorous analytical methods to design and implement development interventions that combine qualitative techniques (e.g., focus group discussion (FGDs), service design) with quantitative tools (discrete choice experiments (DCE), econometric methods). This includes:

• Choice and implementation of relevant qualitative method.

• Application of rigorous quantitative methods such DCEs for analyzing the situation at hand.

• Econometric analysis of data collected through quantitative tools.

• Triangulation of qualitative and quantitative findings. 

Featured Research

“A new methodology in Development Economics: Integrating service design (SD) with discrete choice experiments (DCE)“, Palgrave Pivot – Palgrave Macmillan, accepted for publication (2026). 

“Designing development interventions: The application of Service Design and Discrete Choice Experiments in complex settings”, published in World Development

“Combining Service Design and Discrete Choice Experiments for Intervention Design: An Application to Weather Index Insurance”, published in MethodsX

Qualifications

Italian Scientific Habilitation as Associate Professor in Economic Policy (Settore Concorsuale 13/A2), 27/10/2025 – 27/10/2037.

M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D. in Economics, University of East Anglia, UK

PhD dissertation: Market structure and competition: An empirical analysis of the U.S. airline industry; Advisors: Steve Davies and Bruce Lyons 

Primary fields: Industrial organization

Secondary fields: Experimental economics; public choice

MA dissertation: Effects of transparency on collusion in fragmented markets with homogeneous products; Advisor: Steve Davies

B.A., M.A., M.Res. in Economics, (integrated single-cycle degree) University of Bologna, IT

Dissertation: Antitrust and competition: Evaluation of relevant sectors; Advisor: Flavio Delbono

Primary fields: Economics of industry and regulation; quantitative economics for financial markets

Secondary fields: Development economics; public economics; monetary economics

Publications 

10. “A new methodology in Development Economics: Integrating service design (SD) with discrete choice experiments (DCE)”, Palgrave Pivot – Palgrave Macmillan, accepted for publication (2026). 

9. “Reproducibility in Management Science”, Miloš Fišar, Ben Greiner, Christoph Huber, Elena Katok, Ali Ozkes, and the Management Science Reproducibility Collaboration, Management Science, 70, (2024), 1343–1356. 

Note: Contributor as member of the Management Science Reproducibility Collaboration.

8. “How do antitrust regimes impact on cartel formation and managers' labor market? An experiment”, Miguel Fonseca, Ricardo Gonçalves, Joana Pinho, and Giovanni Alberto Tabacco, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 204, (2022), 643–662.

7. “Designing development interventions: The application of Service Design and Discrete Choice Experiments in complex settings”, Matthew Osborne, Fiona Lambe, Ylva Ran, Naira Dehmel, Giovanni Alberto Tabacco, Joshua Balungira, Erik Widmark, Stefan Holmlid, Borja Perez-Viana Martínez and Arjan Verschoor, World Development, 158, (2022).

6. “Combining Service Design and Discrete Choice Experiments for Intervention Design: An Application to Weather Index Insurance”, Naira Dehmel, Ylva Ran, Matthew Osborne, Arjan Verschoor, Fiona Lambe, Joshua Balungira, Giovanni Alberto Tabacco, Borja Perez-Viana Martínez, Erik Widmark and Stefan Holmlid, MethodsX, 8, (2021), 1–18.

5. “Cartel Deterrence and the Labour Market for Managers”, Miguel Fonseca, Ricardo Gonçalves, Joana Pinho, Giovanni Alberto Tabacco, chapter 4 in OECD (2019), Delivering Better Policies Through Behavioural Insights: New Approaches, OECD Publishing, Paris, 74–115.

4. “Airline Economics: An Empirical Analysis of Market Structure and Competition in the US Airline Industry”, Giovanni Alberto Tabacco, Palgrave Pivot – Palgrave Macmillan, (2017), 1–75.

3. “Does Competition Spur Innovation? Evidence from Labor Productivity Data for the Banking Industry”, Giovanni Alberto Tabacco, Economics Letters, 132, (2015), 45–47.

2. “Market Structure and Intensity of Price Competition in EU Banking”, Giovanni Alberto Tabacco, Journal of Competition Law and Economics, 11(2), (2015), 353–363.

1. “A New Way to Assess Banking Competition”, Giovanni Alberto Tabacco, Economics Letters, 121(2), (2013), 167–169.