Invited Speaker
Professor Paolo Buonanno
Department of Economics
University of Bergamo
We investigate how a disruptive social event, namely the emergence of organized crime infiltration in the local government, shapes social capital. We exploit the dismissal of city councils infiltrated by organized crime and a novel and fine-grained measure of social capital in Italy. Using a difference-indifferences strategy, we show that municipalities’ dissolution is associated with a significant and sizable increase in social capital. We document the mechanisms through which the presence of organized crime affects social capital, including trust diversion, changes in civic engagement, and its impact on local institutions and governance.
About the presenter:
Full Professor in Economics at the Department of Economics at the University of Bergamo since March 2016. Vice-Chancellor for Research from October 2015. to November 2021. Previously, associate professor from May 2012 to February 2016 and assistant professor from October 2006 to April 2012. Post-doctoral scholar at University of California at Berkeley during the a.y. 2005/06. PhD in Economics at Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (2003). MSc in Economics at London School of Economics (2001). Visiting scholar at Inter-American Development Bank (2013), Institut de Economia Barcelona (2012), Collegio Carlo Alberto, Turin (2012), Universidad Carlos III, Madrid (2002-2003).
His research interests are in applied microeconometrics in the fields of economics of crime, social interactions and applied economic history. He has published, among others, on: American Economic Review, Economic Journal, Journal of the European Economic Association, Economic Policy, Journal of Law & Economics, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Journal of Economic Growth and Economics of Education Review.
About Our Webinar Series
This event is part of our regular webinar sessions for social capital researchers including PhD/master students. These sessions include invited presentations from prominent scholars as well as presentations by PhD students and experts in professional practice.
For social capital researchers, these sessions are an opportunity to hear about the latest social capital research and insights from scholars working on the concept. They can be a great way to connect with people, to get advice, discuss ideas or issues, get suggestions for literature to read, or you can just listen.
Are you researching social capital and want to present your research? Click here for more information and to submit a proposal.
Generally, presentations can be 20 to 30 mins. The content of your presentation will depend on your research stage.
