📈Political economy | Gender and politics | Representation 📈
My research investigates when women's presence in politics translates into substantive change, and how institutional filters and external shocks either expand or constrain women's empowerment. I employ quantitative methods and causal inference.
Selected Work in Progress:
"The Political Aftershocks of Natural Disasters: Gender Penalties in Post-Crisis Elections"
(Scheduled) Presentations:
➔ Advisory Political Economics Group (Stockholm University - 13 February, 2026)
➔ Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) Conference 2026 (Chicago, USA - April 23rd-26th, 2026)
➔ EUI Political Behaviour Colloquium (PBC) (European University Institute - June 2nd, 2026)
➔ European Conference on Politics and Gender (ECPG) (Newcastle, UK - 15th-17th June, 2026)
Working Papers:
"From Voters to Politicians: The Vanishing Gender Gap in Preferences," with P. Profeta, R. Puglisi, S. Scabrosetti
Abstract:
➔ We study gender gaps in policy attitudes among voters, candidates, and elected officials using harmonized cross-sectional data from the European Social Survey (ESS) and Comparative Candidates Survey (CCS). Gender differences in policy preferences are large among voters, but narrow among candidates and shrink further among elected officials. Same-sex rights are a notable exception, with persistent gender divides across all political levels. Convergence mainly reflects female politicians moving toward male positions, especially among centrists, rather than mutual adjustment. This pattern arises from selection at entry into politics, not socialization through experience: first-time candidates already resemble incumbents in their gender gaps. At ideological extremes, convergence varies and follows party issue ownership. Overall, political selection strongly limits the extent to which descriptive representation produces substantive policy differences, shaping how gender translates into representation and responsiveness.
Presentations:
➔ Italian Political Science Association (SISP) Conference 2025 (Naples, IT - September 2025)
➔ CIVICA Political Behaviour and Institutions (PoBI) Conference (Vienna, AT - May 2025)