Journal articles
Government Demand and Firm Growth (with B. Hoekman, R. Ticku and F. Santi)
Journal of Development Economics, 183: 103832, 2026. — VoxDev · IGC Policy Brief · IGC working paper
Sustainable Public Procurement and Firm Dynamics: Evidence from Spanish Contracts (with E. Carreras and D. Vannoni)
Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization, 251: 107763, 2026
Foreign Direct Investment and Structural Transformation in Africa (with B. Hoekman and M. Tambussi)
The World Bank Economic Review, 40(2): 255–276, 2026. — PEDL project
Value-Added in African Exports and Rules of Origin (with R. Ticku, M. Olarreaga, C. Lippitsch and B. Hoekman)
The World Economy, 48(8): 1791–1803, 2025. — IGC blog
Trade, Productivity, and Services Input Intensity (with B. Hoekman, F. Santi and R. Ticku)
Review of World Economics, 161(1): 309–337, 2025.
Roads, Competition, and the Informal Sector (with E. Perra and A. Sundaram)
Journal of Development Economics, 171: 103339, 2024. — VoxDev
Mobile Internet, Skills, and Structural Transformation in Rwanda (with B. Caldarola, M. Grazzi and M. Occelli)
Research Policy, 52(10): 104871, 2023.
Trade and Value Chain Participation: Domestic Firms and FDI Spillovers in Africa (with B. Hoekman)
The World Economy, 46(11): 3367–3391, 2023.
Aid and Internal Migration in Malawi (with M. Lanati and F. Santi)
World Development, 162: 106134, 2023.
Services, Jobs and Economic Development in Africa (with L. Baccini, M. Fiorini and B. Hoekman)
The World Bank Research Observer, 38(1): 147–178, 2023. — VoxEU · IGC blog · EUI project page
Roads and Jobs in Ethiopia (with M. Fiorini)
The World Bank Economic Review, 36(4): 999–1020, 2022.
Trade Liberalization, Employment and Gender in Ethiopia (with G. Giovannetti and A. Vivoli)
Journal of Development Studies, 58(11): 2366–2392, 2022.
Trade Liberalization, Roads and Firm Productivity (with M. Fiorini and A. Sundaram)
Journal of Development Economics, 153: 1–18, 2021. — IGC blog · VoxDev · UNIDO · IGC project
Chinese Official Finance and Political Participation in Africa (with F. Iacoella, B. Martorano and L. Metzger)
European Economic Review, 136: 1–28, 2021. — The Conversation · Domani
Markup Dispersion and Firm Entry: Evidence from Ethiopia (with K. A. Damoah and G. Giovannetti)
Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 83(2): 299–327, 2021.
The Productivity Gaps of Female-Owned Firms: Evidence from the Ethiopian Census (with D. Essers and K. Megersa)
Economic Development and Cultural Change, 69(2): 645–683, 2021.
Importing and Productivity: An Analysis of South African Manufacturing Firms (with L. Edwards and A. Sundaram)
Review of Industrial Organization, 57: 411–432, 2020.
Chinese Development Assistance and Household Welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa (with B. Martorano and L. Metzger)
World Development, 129: 1–21, 2020. — UNU-MERIT
Foreign Participation in Public Procurement and Firm Performance: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa (with B. Hoekman)
Review of World Economics, 156(1): 41–73, 2020. — IGC project · UNIDO
Local Sourcing in Developing Countries: The Role of Foreign Direct Investments and Global Value Chains (with V. Amendolagine, A. Presbitero and R. Rabellotti)
World Development, 113: 73–88, 2019. — VoxEU · Bloomberg · EIBA Best Paper Award
What Factors Drive Successful Industrialization? Evidence and Implications for Developing Countries (with N. Haraguchi and B. Martorano)
Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 49(6): 266–276, 2019. — UNIDO volume · Best Paper Award
Manufacturing Growth Accelerations in Developing Countries (with N. Haraguchi, B. Martorano and A. Shingal)
Review of Development Economics, 23(4): 1696–1724, 2019.
Investors’ Characteristics and the Business Climate as Drivers of Backward Linkages in Vietnam (with C. Franco and A. Seric)
Journal of Policy Modeling, 41(5): 882–904, 2019.
Diverse Twins: Analysing China’s Impact on Italian and German Exports Using a Multilevel Quantile Regressions Approach (with G. Giovannetti and M. Velucchi)
Applied Economics, 50(28): 3051–3065, 2018.
Importing and Firm Export Performance: New Evidence from South Africa (with L. Edwards and A. Sundaram)
South African Journal of Economics, 86: 79–95, 2018.
Highly Skilled Returnees and the Internationalization of EMNEs: Firm-Level Evidence from China (with X. Fu and J. Hou)
International Business Review, 26(3): 579–591, 2017. — IBR Best Paper Award
Catching-Up, Structural Transformation and Inequality: Industry-Level Evidence from Asia (with B. Martorano and D. Park)
Industrial and Corporate Change, 26(4): 555–570, 2017. — GPID blog
Spillovers from Agglomerations and FDI: A Multilevel Analysis on SSA Domestic Firms (with A. Seric)
Review of World Economics, 152(1): 147–176, 2016.
China’s Competition and the Export Price Strategies of Developed Countries (with G. Giovannetti)
International Review of Applied Economics, 30(2): 238–254, 2016.
The Impact of Outward FDI on the Performance of Chinese Firms (with C. Cozza and R. Rabellotti)
China Economic Review, 36: 42–57, 2015. — The Economist
Structural Change and Wage Inequality in the Manufacturing Sector: Long-Run Evidence from East Asia (with B. Martorano)
Oxford Development Studies, 43(2): 212–231, 2015.
Supply Chains and the Internationalization of Small Firms (with G. Giovannetti and E. Marvasi)
Small Business Economics, 44(4): 845–865, 2015.
FDI from Emerging Markets and the Productivity Gap: An Analysis on Affiliates of BRICS EMNEs in Europe
International Business Review, 24(4): 665–676, 2015.
Impact of South–South FDI and Trade on the Export Upgrading of African Economies (with A. Amighini)
World Development, 64: 1–17, 2014.
Investigating Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investments: How Can Firm-Level Data Help? (with A. Amighini, C. Cozza and R. Rabellotti)
China & World Economy, 22(6): 44–63, 2014.
Do Chinese SOEs and Private Companies Differ in Their Internationalisation Strategies? (with A. Amighini and R. Rabellotti)
China Economic Review, 27: 312–325, 2013.
Innovative Features in Poverty Reduction Programmes: The Impact Evaluation of Chile Solidario on Households and Children (with B. Martorano)
Journal of International Development, 24(8): 1030–1041, 2012.
Chinese FDI Strategy in Italy: The “Marco Polo” Effect (with C. Pietrobelli and R. Rabellotti)
International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 4(4): 277–291, 2011.
Successes in Social Protection: What Lessons Can Be Learned? (with A. de Haan, G. Giovannetti and R. Sabates-Wheeler)
Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 32(4): 439–453, 2011. — VoxEU
Chinese FDI to Africa: What Is the Nexus with Foreign Economic Cooperation?
African Development Review, 22(S1): 599–614, 2010.
Do Chinese Exports Crowd Out African Goods? An Econometric Analysis by Country and Sector (with G. Giovannetti)
European Journal of Development Research, 21(4): 506–530, 2009.
Understanding China’s Move into Africa: An Empirical Analysis (with M. Biggeri)
Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, 7(1): 31–53, 2009.
Books
Sanfilippo, M. and Weinar, A. (eds.), Chinese Migration and Economic Relations with Europe: The Silk Road Revisited, London: Routledge, 2015.