The EoF Academy is the international network of scholars formed with the aim of conducting and promoting scientific research on issues relating to the Economy of Francesco.
The first EoF Research Fellowship program was open to young doctoral level students in the field of economics or related academic fields, from all countries, to help young economists who are committed to or are aspiring to an academic career, to achieve the necessary scientific background in particular with regards to topics of interest to EoF. To achieve this goal, 13 small research fellowships were granted for the year 2021/2022. After the evaluation and selection process, on June 29, Prof. Luigino Bruni, scientific coordinator of EoF, welcomed 18 young researchers to the EoF Academy, coming from 15 countries and trained in different disciplines. The supervision of the activity carried out by the EoF Academy Researchers is entrusted to members of the EoF Academy Fellows.
EoF ACADEMY RESEARCHERS
Public policies to reduce environmental impacts and inequality income while maximizing economic growth, renewable energy consumption and giving
This research proposal aims to collaborate so that countries become more eco-efficient, that is, it aims to econometrically find model countries so that it is possible to copy assertive public policies that collaborate to reduce environmental impacts and inequality income while maximizing economic growth, renewable energy consumption and the CAF – World Giving Index (a proxy for philanthropy).
Digital inclusion, the relational State and the common good: A case study of Argentine’s digital inclusion policies from the Relational Sociology paradigm
This work proposes a revision of digital inclusion policies from the Relational Sociology to overcome the State’s deficiencies in the nascent globality. The objective is to understand how relationality emerges within digital inclusion policies exploring systemic and social aspects. With this purpose, a case study of digital inclusion policies in Argentina is developed. The paper contributes to incorporating the relationality principle at the center of policy research towards a relational State oriented to the common good.
“The Citadels of Solidarity”: Franciscan urban solidarity against the paradox of malnutrition in the post-Covid 19 Age
Through Franciscan categories (Bruni, 2012; Todisco, 2007) like those of gift, responsibility, sharing and value-relationship is possible to build a solidarity network for promoting charitable initiatives (Bazzichi, 2020; Todisco, 2020). My proposal is to encourage the birth of “Citadels of Solidarity”, namely charitable cities where exceeding food resources are distributed through mutualistic locally based practices like free food aid, food supports for immigrants and feminist canteen popular. These charitable cities can simultaneously contrast food waste and help poorer people against the paradox of malnutrition through actions inspired by Franciscan values1. As Pope Francis supports, food is not private property. This is the time to make food a common good.
Enabling companies to conduct impact assessment according to Civil Economy principles: the cases of the wood and food sectors (indicators)
In this period of growing awareness on environmental and social impacts by consumers, investors and institutions, it is fundamental to provide tools to companies that are able to make impact assessment processes quick and efficient, to manage risks in time. The method that we want to develop in this project, is a framework to measure impacts based on the principles of Civil Economy. There are different frameworks nowadays, some are very popular, but none of the existing is related to the Civil Economy; this tool will help enterprises to approach this economic paradigm step by step. The new methodology for the impact assessment will be tested on two value chains: one in the food sector and the other in the wood sector, to verify the effectiveness of the new metrics and the overall goodness of the tool both in the single enterprises and in company networks.
Contribution of poverty on environmental degradation
This study is going to identify and solve real practical problems which exist in the contribution of Poverty on environmental degradation of our mother home (planet) in Cameroon (Africa) like deforestation, waste management etc. Research Area: major Contribution of Environmental Degradation in Cameroon. Research Topic: Contribution of poverty on environmental degradation.
Individual and Collective Entrepreneurial Skills Development: Case of microcredit groups in Burundi
To increase or diversify their incomes, microcredit group members engage in commercial activities through the loans they grant each other within their groups. What makes it a suitable space for creating and developing micro-enterprises, commonly known as Income Generating Activities (AGR). However, one of the problems faced by members of microcredit groups is the lack of entrepreneurial skills. To meet this challenge, this research will deepen the process of skills building, particularly the development of entrepreneurial skills in microcredit groups, which can be considered socio-economic incubators. As there is already a collaborative dynamic among members of microcredit groups, the aim is to understand whether this could not positively promote the circulation and collective construction of entrepreneurial skills.
Financial Literacy and Values Education for Family Members of Overseas Filipino Workers
This research aims to address the gap in financial literacy, specifically of OFW family members. Thus, the researcher would like to come up with a financial literacy module or enhance/further develop the existing financial literacy modules that can be used to educate Filipino families, specifically targeting members of OFWs on the proper management of their finances. The researcher would like to add and highlight values education, as well. In doing the study, the researcher hopes to better understand the spending motivations of Filipino families and the appropriate intervention (through needs-assessment) that would encourage them to be more discerning on their use of money.
The price of the transcendental in urban societies: Trying to monetize the actions that truly build a fraternal society that aspires to life in common
The aim of this work is to analyze the case study of Tarija city to move from an urban development model based mainly on the physical transformation to a more transcendental level and how it affects the local economy. Trying to monetize the actions that truly build a fraternal society that aspires to live in common and as a result of a charismatic economy (Bruni, Smerilli, 2018). Not only considering physical space, but also relations of reciprocity (Axelrod, 1984), seeing the other as a new way of organizing society. Transformation costs are lower when skillful leaders are involved (Ostrom, 1990) and the costs of this would be low, compared to the risks of climate change. In any event, these are primarily ethical decisions, rooted in solidarity between all peoples (LS.172, 2015). Also, as Medeiros (2006) considered that the exploitation of wealth means the improvement of urban qualities and collectivity with civic principles.
Green energy finance: fiscal policies in the energy transition from an Agent-Based Model Analysis
Transiting from a fossil-based to a low-carbon system is an indispensable structural shift that must occur if society aims to limit global temperature rise and promote sustainable development. However, the infrastructural transformations needed, like the energy system one, is not trivial because the development and diffusion of alternative technologies face substantial barriers established by the dominant carbon-intensive ones. Breaking the carbon lock-in situation requires great amounts of green finance investments. Historically, the investments and incentives are strongly concentrated in carbon-intensive technologies. This theme has blossomed in recent years and the financial aspects of a transition to sustainability are central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This project proposes the analysis of the impact of some green fiscal policies ( a market-based carbon tax and a state investment bank indirect subside) in the energy transition development compared to a business-as-usual situation. This analysis will take place from an Agent-Based model under construction that is part of broader thesis development. It is expected that some combinations of policies will have a positive impact in accelerating the energy transition vis-a-vis a no-intervention strategy.
Encouraging socially and environmentally sustainable organizations (run by poor or middle class entrepreneurs) amidst high corruption institutional environments
My research falls into three bodies: the first deals with for-profit firms and their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities towards disadvantaged groups; the second uses a business & management lens for issues affecting urban informal sector workers; the third covers exclusion and unfair practices in firms. My CSR research generated ethics-related theory based on which groups CSR targeted, and whether firms used external CSR/ charity to divert from irresponsible HRM practices – with practical proposals for lawmakers & agencies setting reporting frameworks. My 2nd research body disproved popular notions about the poor & informal employment, creating counter-intuitive theory, and ideas for social entrepreneurs. My 3rd body of work spurred theory & guidelines for inclusive & fair employment outcomes. As a business researcher in a developing country, my research instinctively questions the assumptions that the West makes or points out aspects of the developing world that the developed world fails to appreciate.
Gender inequality, public policies and taxation in Brazil
Researching the performance of social business in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
This project aims to research the performance of the social business in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. A literature study will be conducted. We will do interviews and surveys to collect the latest and most informative data. The final deliverables will be a research report. Through this project, we expect to provide Chinese social enterprises with practice in implementing sustainable development goals in local contexts.
Constructing a measure of well-being that is inclusive and useful for empathetic and informed policy and decision-making: a personalist perspective
I would like to propose research into questions of valuation and measurement. The measurement of individual well-being should more responsibly reflect the value of goods – material, natural and social – to each given individual. This would form the basis for more inclusive well-being measurement which in turn is necessary for empathetic and informed policy and decision-making. What we choose to measure is critically important for guiding good policy and decision-making. Firstly, if we do not recognize the value of things that contribute to our well-being beyond material gain, nor measure the value of things that are important and valuable to us as individuals, and to our societies, these dimensions can be neglected in discussions and decisions. Secondly, value can be heterogeneous among individuals, and a personalist approach to conceptualizing measurement and valuation should reflect this. Further research into a theoretical and practical approach to their valuation and measurement is urgently needed.
Imperfect pricing of government debt: the “unreliable country” trap
The project empirically investigates the determinants of public debt pricing to show whether the interest rates on public debt are predicted by and respond to economic performances. Previous studies on imperfect market pricing have shown how financial markets can over-or under-shot prices differently from what the efficient market hypothesis predicts (e.g. Barberis et al. 1998; Daniel et al. 1998). Empirical studies also show that the status of over-or under-performer for a bond tends to be sticky and prices eventually revert only slowly and not timely with the release of new information (e.g. De Bondt and Thaler 1985; Jegadeesh and Titman 1993).
Progressive transnational economic governance / world order based on the principles advanced by the Church and organized transnationally in a body like the Church
I focus on the dynamic interplay between technologies and institutions, unveiling what global governance can learn from the resilience and adaptability of the Church in its dealings with different state and non-state actors over time. My expected results are that what is missing has to do with the way that the Church – much more than the UN system – applies the principle of subsidiarity together with palpable solidarity presence in terms of agents and structures to grapple with problems and institutionalize solutions in networks with a ‘rhizomatic’ character (Sørensen and Torfing, 2007; Agnew, 2010).
Sustainable decision-making: the role of effectuation, social identity, and institutional voids
My research interests focus on the impact that effectuation and causation decision-making have in achieving dual or triple sustainable goals. Moreover, I am interested in understanding, how internal (founder’s social identity) and external factors (institutional voids) alter this effect.
Insight into how people in climate-vulnerable areas voice their concerns and cope with their circumstances (10 interviews)
My work aims to provide an in-depth perspective on how some people (N=10) experience, live with and understand rapid climate changes in Bangladesh. Method: Semi-structured interviews with young people and elders. Analysis: Inspired by Archer`s Morphogenetic approach. Expected results: Insight into how people in climate-vulnerable areas voice their concerns and cope with their circumstances.
Impact of robot adoption on labor and firm dynamics in developing countries
My dissertation revisits the question of why productivity has a delayed reaction after a major technology change with the latest episode associated with automation. I focus on the adoption of industrial robots in Brazil, and provide the first estimates of the effects of robot adoption in an emerging country. Based on event studies, I document that it takes five years after the adoption of a robot to observe economically significant productivity gains, what I refer to as the productivity paradox of robots. A three dollar per worker increase in robots adopted by a local labor market resulted in a 2.66% increase in productivity over the following ten-year period. On the other hand, robots do not reduce aggregate employment over the same period.
EoF Academy Fellows
Luigino Bruni (Italy) | Economist. LUMSA University
Stefano Zamagni (Italy) | Economist and President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
Anouk Grevin (France) | Economist. Univ. Nantes
Luca Crivelli (Switzerland) | Economist. Univ. SUPSI
Matteo Rizzolli (Italy) | Associate professor of Economic Policy. LUMSA University
Domenico Rossignoli (Italy) | Assistant professor. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Gherardo Girardi (UK) | Associate Professor of Economics and Finance, University of St Mary
Giulio Guarini (Italy) | Associate professor. Università degli studi della Tuscia (Viterbo)
Consuelo Corradi (Italy) | Professor of Sociology, Lumsa University
Helen Alford (Italy) | Professor and former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Pontifical University of St Thomas
Paolo Benanti (Italy) | Professor of ethics, moral theology, and bioethics. Pontificia Università Gregoriana
Adriana Gómez Chico Spamer (Mexico)
Antonio Magliulo (Italy) | Full Professor of History of Economic Thought. Studi Internazionali di Roma (UNINT)
Ricardo Zozimo (Portugal) | Assistant Professor of Management at Nova School of Business and Economics
Américo M S Carvalho Mendes (Portugal) | Head of ATES – The Transversal Area of Social Economy of the Catholic University of Portugal (Porto)
Andrea Piccaluga (Italy) | Director of the Institute of Management at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa)
Paul H. Dembinski (Poland) | Associate professor at the University of Fribourg
Anthony Annett (USA) | Ph.D. in Economics. Climate Change and Sustainable Development Advisor, Earth Institute, Columbia University, Ethics of Sustainable Development
Daniel Ernesto Stigliano (Argentina) | Profesor de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (Facultad de Ciencias Económicas)
Luca Parisoli (Italy) | Associate Professor. Università della Calabria
Alessandro Federici (Italy) | Research Fellow presso ENEA – Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile
Valentina Rotondi (Italy – Switzerland – UK) | Lecturer and researcher, SUPSI – Research Associate, University of Oxford
Paolo Santori (Italy – Netherlands) | Teacher. Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences – Department of Philosophy (Tilburg University)
