Education under lockdown: COVID-19 learning loss in high-income countries. In C. Green (Ed.), The economics of education: A comprehensive overview. Forthcoming, with Di Tommaso, D., & Piazzalunga, D. (2026).
"Who Cares About Childcare? Covid-19 and Substantive Gender Representation", International Tax and Public Finance, with A. Marchese and P. Profeta.
"Beyond the Party Push: Gender Differences in Voters' Persuasion", European Journal of Political Economy
"Does Scarcity of Female Instructors Create Demand for Diversity among Students? Evidence from Observational and Experimental Data ", with P. Funk and N. Iriberri. Labour Economics
"Gender gaps in housework activities in Europe before and after Covid-19" with M. Angelici, CESifo Economic Studies
"Let The Voters Choose Women", Journal of Public Economics, with A. Baltrunaite, A. Casarico and P. Profeta.
"Active Labour Market Policies for Unemployed Graduates: Evidence on Gender Patterns from Italy" (2020), with E. Havari.
This paper provides evidence on the effectiveness of an active labour market programme (ALMP) targeting unemployed graduates in Italy. The programme, named WELL30, aimed to enhance the career prospects of graduates aged 30 or more. It consists of two measures: (i) on-the-job training, and (ii) wage subsidies to firms and organisations for hiring the trainees at the end of the programme. We rely on administrative data and matching techniques to estimate the impact of the intervention in terms of employment outcomes. Results show that participants are increasingly more likely to be employed three years after programme completion. We also find notable gender differences: women appear to benefit more from the programme overall, except during life stages most likely affected by motherhood.
"It starts early! Male-dominated classes and girl’s bullying" (2024), with S. Cunningham, M.L. di Tommaso, A. Melo, S. Mendolia.
Bullying is a widespread form of aggression that emerges early in childhood and is common in school settings. Using Italian data from the National Institute for the Evaluation of Education and Training (INVALSI) on primary school students, we document gender differences in self-reported bullying, both as victims and perpetrators, across multiple dimensions. Bullying is more prevalent among boys on both fronts. Exploiting the quasirandom allocation of students to classes within schools, we show that a higher share of boys increases reported victimization among girls, particularly in forms such as mockery and verbal insults. These effects are associated with lower well-being among girls. The findings point to a spillover of violence from boys to girls as the share of male peers increases, highlighting the role of classroom gender composition in shaping early peer interactions and the need for caution when managing gender imbalances in elementary education.
"Peer Gender Composition and University Climate" (2022), with P. Profeta and S. Griselda.
The university climate is an essential factor that influences students' academic outcomes and career trajectories. traditional masculinity norms, particularly prevalent in male-dominated fields, can pose substantial barriers to success, especially for female students. This paper first measures students' adherence to masculinity norms, their anxiety levels, and their confidence in their academic performance relative to peers. Second, we explore how these factors correlate with and predict academic performance and future career aspirations. Finally, leveraging the random assignment of students into different class groups within the same course at an elite university, we examine how peer gender composition influences students' masculinity norms, anxiety levels, academic confidence, and exam performance. Our findings demonstrate that increased exposure to female peers reduces adherence to traditional masculinity norms and anxiety, while enhancing students' confidence and academic outcomes.
"Is Physical Unattractiveness a Risk Factor for Sexual Violence Perpetration? Evidence from the U.S.", with M.L. di Tommaso, S. Mendolia, and S.Palmaccio.
A comprehensive understanding of the determinants of sexual violence constitutes a crucial step toward effective prevention. While there is much research on the role of socio-economic circumstances of both victims acund perpetrators, little is known about whether an individual’s physical attractiveness influences the likelihood of perpetrating sexual violence. Using U.S. data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we examine the relationship between attractiveness and sexual violence perpetration against one’s partner. Physical attractiveness is measured using interviewer-assigned scores for respondents aged 12 to 17. While no correlation is documented for women, among men, a one-point increase in attractiveness (on a 1–5 scale) reduces the likelihood of perpetrating sexual violence in adulthood by 13 percent. We also find that contextual factors, such as parental education and neighborhood cohesion, mitigate this association. Very unattractive men with highly educated parents have substantially lower predicted probabilities of perpetrating sexual violence against the partner, compared to peers with less-educated parents. Similarly, very unattractive men living in cohesive neighborhoods report markedly lower predicted frequencies of sexual violence perpetration than those in less cohesive neighborhoods.
"The influence of Sport Events on Voter Turnout" (2019)
In this paper, I study the impact of sportive events, namely hockey and football matches, on voting behavior in Swiss referenda. I implement a fixed effect regression analysis using cantonal level data, and I show that cantons whose teams are involved in a hockey match before a referendum exhibit higher voter turnout. Local level data show that particularly municipalities closer to the stadium, where more sport supporters live, exhibit higher turnout after hockey and football matches. Preliminary evidence suggests that social pressure fostered by such social events is the main mechanism behind the results.