Welcome! I am a senior assistant professor at the University of Cagliari. I'm affiliated with CRENoS and HEDG.
NEW: From February to June 2025, I will be visiting the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
I am an applied microeconomist. I study policies in education and health, and decision-making under risk.
I also work on Sardinia-related issues. For more info, check the
To see my CV, click here (last update: April 2025)
BIO
Education
2018 - Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Phd in Economics
2013 - Universitat Pompeu Fabra, M.Res. in Economics
2011 - University of Essex, MSc in Economics
Other things
RESEARCH
Published papers
Depowering Risk: Vehicle Power Restriction and Teen Driver Accidents in Italy
with Silvia Balia and Rinaldo Brau
The Journal of Law and Economics, Volume 66:4, 2023, 765-795
(Abstract & Figures from the paper)
Media coverage: VoxEu
Choosing Not to Lead: Monetary Incentives and Political Selection in Local Parliamentary Systems
with Andrea Caria and Fabio Cerina
European Journal of Political Economy, Volume 79, September 2023, 102406
(Abstract & Figures from the paper)
The Effectiveness of Promotion Incentives for Public Employees: Evidence from Italian Academia
with Lorenzo Pandolfi
Economic Policy, Volume 37, Issue 112, October 2022, Pages 697-748
(Abstract & Figures from the paper)
Policy brief: Economic Policy Panel
Cutting Through the Fog: Financial Literacy and Financial Investment Choices
with Lorenzo Pandolfi
Journal of the European Economic Association, Volume 19, Issue 1, February 2021, Pages 237–274.
Working papers
with Matteo Bobba, Tim Ederer, Gianmarco León-Ciliotta, and Christopher Neilson
NBER Working Paper No. 29068 (July 2021), revised March 2024
Revise & Resubmit (second round), Journal of Political Economy
(Abstract & Figures from the paper)
The Magic of the Game: Experimental Evidence on Sports Betting Behavior
with Martin Chegere, Paolo Falco, Lorenzo Pandolfi, and Mattea Stein
CSEF Working Paper No. 655 (November 2022), revised November 2024
Revise & Resubmit, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
(Abstract & Figures from the paper)
The Effect of Tenure-track Systems of Selection, Productivity, and Fertility in Economics
with Roberto Nisticò and Lorenzo Pandolfi
Supported by the Career Structure in Economics Research Grant, European Economic Association
(Abstract & Figures from the paper)
Work in progress
Scholars & the Machine. On Automation and Academic Performance (draft coming soon!)
with Alessio Garau and Alessio Moro
The Whole is Other than the Sum of the Parts. Municipal Mergers and Local Development in Fascist Italy
(draft coming soon!)
with Claudio Deiana and Andrea Geraci
A Mentoring Program for Women Empowerment
with Michele Giannola, Lorenzo Pandolfi, and Valeria Zurla
Choking Under Pressure and Risk Aversion: Evidence from Football Penalties
with Luca Coraggio and Lorenzo Pandolfi
Cultural Codes, Institutions, and Crime. Enclosures and Violence in 19th Century Sardinia
with Claudio Deiana
"ANTONIO PIGLIARU" WORKSHOP
The "Antonio Pigliaru" Workshop – named after the Sardinian philosopher – is a biennial event, each edition focusing on a different topic. The connection between the various themes is that they all link to events and phenomena that have shaped the history of Sardinia.
Starting from the local scale, the workshop goes beyond the Sardinian context through a multidisciplinary approach that - besides economists - combines the perspectives of philosophers, historians, jurists, architects, and other scientists.
The workshop is organized by Alberto Bisin, Claudio Deiana, Luigi Guiso, Mario Macis, Marco Nieddu, and Francesco Pigliaru, thanks to the financial support of Fondazione di Sardegna.
All editions
TEACHING
Teaching resources on my UNICA webpage