PRIN 2022 Project

Mapping Local Economic Activity Using Night-Time Light Data:

RESEARCH TEAM

University of Padova - Giulio Cainelli, Roberto Ganau (Project PI), Nadiia Matsiuk
University of Molise - Claudio Lupi (Unit PI), Luca Romagnoli
ISTAT - Danilo Birardi, Erika Cerasti, Marco Di Zio, Stefano Falorsi, Giovanni Savio (Unit PI), Carmela Squarcio

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Published Papers

Balestra M., Cainelli G., Ganau R., Matsiuk N., Pasquato M., and Pierdicca R. (2026), "Sovereignty, civic capital, and local development. A historical perspective in economic geography", Journal of Economic Geography, OnlineFirst [link, Open Access]
Lupi C. (2025), "Benford and power law distributions: Representation and simulation", Chaos, Solitons & Fractals 194: 116253 [link, Open Access]

Working Papers

Cainelli G., Ganau R., and Matsiuk N. (2025), "Enlightenment and the long-term persistence of administrative traditions" [latest version (August 2025)]

Works in Progress

Lupi C., and Romagnoli L., "Disaggregating income data at sub-municipal level using satellite imagery"
Lupi C., and Romagnoli L., "Down to earth: Estimating GDP components in small areas using satellite data"
Savio G., "Mapping Italian GDP at sub-national level with VIIRS night lights and panel data models"
Cainelli G., Ganau R., and Matsiuk N., "Legacy of Napoleonic presence and local development in Italy"
Cainelli G., Ganau R., and Matsiuk N., "Trust and local development. Results from a survey of Italian citizens"
Cainelli G., Ganau R., and Matsiuk N., "Take a walk on the wild side. Safety perceptions, trust and local institutions"
Cainelli G., Ganau R., and Matsiuk N., "Feudal elites, administrative reforms, and urban development. Historical evidence from the Duchy of Milan"
Cainelli, G., Ganau R., Lupi C., Matsiuk N., and Romagnoli L., "Citizens’ perceptions of services and equity: Hubs vs Inner Areas in Italy"

Replication Toolkit for Estimating Local Economic Activity Using Night-Time Light Data

PRESENTATIONS, SCIENTIFIC EVENTS, AND RESEARCH TEAM MEETINGS

Presentations

Forthcoming

Invited presentation at the Annual Virtual Conference in Historical Political Economy, May 2026

Past

SIEPI Conference on “L’industria italiana negli anni venti”, December 2023, Ancona, Italy
18th International Joint Conference CFE–CMStatistics, December 2024, London, United Kingdom
RCEA-ICEEF Conference, May 2024, London, United Kingdom
Invited presentation at the GRINS Spoke 7 Workshop on “Regional Studies and Territorial Development: Place-Based Policies and Actions”, May 2024, Bari, Italy
63rd ERSA Conference, August 2024, Azores, Portugal
XLV AISRe Conference, September 2024, Turin, Italy
Invited seminar at the University of Basel, April 2025, Basel, Switzerland
Invited seminar at LSE, April 2025, London, United Kingdom
Invited seminar at Brunel University, April 2025, London, United Kingdom
EHS Annual Conference, April 2025, Glasgow, United Kingdom
EHES Conference, September 2025, Stuttgart, Germany
XLVI AISRe Conference, September 2025, Pescara, Italy
PRIN 2022 Workshop on “Mapping Local Economic Activity Using Night-Time Light Data”, September–October 2025, Padova, Italy
Invited seminar at the University of Roma Tre, November 2025, Rome, Italy
RSA Regional Futures Conference, November 2025, London, United Kingdom
19th International Joint Conference CFE–CMStatistics, December 2025, London, United Kingdom

Scientific Events

September 30-October 1, 2025: Workshop "Mapping local economic activity using night-time light data" (University of Padova) featuring keynote lectures by Michael Storper (UCLA, LSE) and Christopher Elvidge (Colorado School of Mines), and eight presentations (full program available here)

Research Team Meetings

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