PhD Students 38th cycle

Annalisa Brega is Phd Student at the University of Bologna – Department of Management. Her research interests are in Public Management in the field of Higher Education Institutions.

Annalisa is a practitioner. She began her career in the private sector, holding positions as a marketing and communication manager in both multinational and national companies. Over time, her career transitioned into the public sector, particularly in the realm of Higher Education. This transition occurred when the University of Bologna embarked on designing international programs and recruiting students from around the world. She managed the BA in Business and Economics and enriched her international experience through overseas exchanges in Buenos Aires and Stellenboch. She assumed the position of General Manager for the Education Services Unit within the Social Science Area. She contributed to design the first bachelor program within the Una Europa project.

She holds an Executive Master's program in Public Management and Innovation and an MA in Semiotics.

She is active in her community as part of the social cooperative Il Passo della Barca. She conducted a radio program. 

Supervisor: Rebecca Levy Orelli; co-supervisor: Ileana Steccolini.

Research project: the role of human, social and financial capital, cultural/educational institutions and policy-making in the processes of promoting and managing innovation and entrepreneurship from an inclusion perspective. Topic: Strategic and organizational changes in the internationalization processes of teaching.

Noemi Brundu is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Economics.
She holds a bachelor's degree in Management Engineering and a master's degree in Social Economy Management, with a great desire to direct her future work towards an environment that brings value to the common citizen.
She is currently involved in Operation Management within the IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Bologna - Policlinico di Sant'Orsola, with a focus in particular on optimizing surgical production and managing waiting lists for elective admissions. Underlying the research project is the use of a Lean approach, which improves processes without compromising health outcomes, indeed improving the quality of the care experience for patients. 

Supervisor: Cristina Ugolini; co-supervisor: Caterina Bianciardi.

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 3.3 (DM 352/2022) and by IRCCS University Hospital of Bologna.

Operation and Value Based Management for the management of the surgical path in the IRCCS University Hospital of Bologna

Francesca Coveri is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Statistical Sciences "Paolo Fortunati". Business Economist. Starts her involvement in the academic world in 2019 as tutor of Degree' course, IT Tutor at support of blended mode lectures and teaching-support tutor in the disciplinary sectors of Quantitative methods for management, Statistics and Corporate finance.
In 2021 gets involved in an Higher education course of the Department of Mathematics in Mathematical finance, where she had the occasion to deepen aspects of applied econometrics. At the end of this route, wins a study grant from the BCC Foundation "Giovanni dalle Fabbriche" on the theme "Workers Buy-Out", as instrument to release business crises and to safeguard occupation, about to be completed by the end of 2023 with a dedicated monograph.
Currently, in the PhD Context, internship at EFSA (European Food Safety Authority).
Research interests are linked to the application of quantitative methods for valuation and communication support' of food-related public policies. Her PhD objective will be to implement quantitative social research, Panel and Pseudo-panel methods, machine learning and Text-mining techniques to address social challenges.

Supervisor: Mario Mazzocchi; co-supervisor: Laura Anderlucci.

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 4.1 (DM 351/2022) - Public Administration

Quantitative methods and statistical sources for the evaluation and support to the implementation of policies and communication strategies to promote sustainable and healthy eating behaviors - consistent with Art. 8 DM 351: strengthening administrative capacity in relation to the formulation and design of public policies developing diagnostic skills. The objectives of the research are to identify and quantify the main drivers of healthy, safe and sustainable food consumption choices and the related trade-offs and the most effective public strategies to promote healthy and eco-sustainable behaviours, in particular on risk communication aspects, also in relation to food safety, with implications on the environmental dimension of behavioral changes induced by public policies, and statistical methods for demand analysis and evaluation of the impact of policies, scientific basis for public strategies aimed at encouraging healthy and eco-sustainable. Consistent with the PNRR objective "Change in behavior for responsible and sustainable production and consumption".

Sara D'Attorre is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Management. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Contemporary History and a Master's degree in Management for Social Economy from the University of Bologna and a Master's degree in European Studies from Sciences Po and the University of Bath (Euromaster).
She has been involved in European funding for several years, particularly on research and innovation and international cooperation. She has done research on social economy and social innovation in the regional context, in collaboration with the University of Bologna and Third Sector organizations.
In ART-ER (in-house regional company), she has worked as Emilia-Romagna Region contact point in San Francisco in charge of the activities of the Innovation Hub in Silicon Valley. She’s currently working on internationalization of the Emilia-Romagna innovation ecosystem in the USA and globally; designing and managing programs on site and developing opportunities for companies, startups and research centers.
She is a PhD candidate at DISA and her research interests are related to the governance of complex public infrastructure, innovation ecosystems and their drivers, and the impact of artificial intelligence and the data economy at the regional level.

Supervisor: Emanuele Padovani; co-supervisor: Stefania Profeti.

The role of human, social and financial capital, cultural/educational institutions and policy-making in the processes of promoting and managing innovation and entrepreneurship from an inclusion perspective.

Theme: innovation and business

Adriano d’Onofrio is a PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Economics. His research interests are related to the subjects of Public Finance, Local Services Financing, Intergovernmental Transfers and Equalization Systems, Social Services at local level, Public Management and Local Financial Vulnerability. Previously, he investigated the role of administrative capacity in EU funds implementation and the potential synergies between EU Recovery Plans and other European programmes. In 2022, he completed a Master in Public Management and Policies in Italy at the Luiss Guido Carli.

His research project focuses on the development of corrective and innovative financial instruments in the local governments funding design, in a context of asymmetric shocks and hetereogeneity of local needs. The project aims to explore the possibility of introducing quality indicators in the Italian local standard expenditure needs model and of identifying the most effective stabilization funds design in terms of financial stability and risk sharing.

Supervisor: Emanuela Randon; co-supervisor: Alberto Zanardi.

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 4.1 (DM 351/2022) - Public Administration.

Social spending at local level, essential levels of benefits (LEP) and national services and their financing, delivery and management methods, involvement of the third sector. The training and research project aims to analyze the methods and consequences of public intervention at a local level. In particular, this project aims to evaluate the possible tools of public intervention to deal with systemic or idiosyncratic risks that affect local communities. Among the different types of intervention, the project aims to explore the possibility of developing public finance instruments that can perform an insurance and financing function for local authorities.

Nguyen Thanh Thanh Duong is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Statistical Sciences "Paolo Fortunati". She focuses her research on forecasting the effects of climate change on the tourism industry's economic aspects, particularly in relation to tax revenue. Her academic interests revolve around employing quantitative approaches, forecasting techniques, and econometric models to understand the economic impacts of climate change, with a specific focus on the tourism sector.

In her research, she employs various methodologies such as deep learning, time series analysis, and forecasting to analyze complex and high-dimensional data. Currently, she is conducting research as a visiting scholar at LSCE (Laboratoire des sciences du climat et de l'enosystemnement), a research institution specializing in climate and environmental studies, associated with CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), in collaboration with the University of Paris-Saclay in Paris, France.

Supervisor: Andrea Guizzardi; co-supervisor: Ida D'Attoma.

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 4.1 (DM 351/2022) - Public Administration.

Quantitative evaluation of fiscal policies in light of climate change - consistent with Art .8 DM 351: strengthen administrative capacity in relation to the formulation and design of public policies by developing diagnostic capacity. The objective is to strengthen the capacity of local administrations in relation to the formulation and design of tax policies in tourism in light of the short and long-term effects that climate change will have on the tax base (property values ​​and number of tourists). Those responsible for institutional planning are supported with innovative statistical/forecasting tools which, also by exploiting the opportunities offered by new ICT technologies, will be able to analyze the results of different government policies in a comparative way. Providing objective elements to understand the relationship between climate dynamics and revenues of the regions and local authorities (to govern a driving sector of the environmental conservation of the territories), is a key to cohesion between the population and AAPP towards sustainable development.

Silvia Di Nolfo is PhD Student at the University of Bologna – Department of Economics. Silvia holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Management from the University of Ferrara and a Master's Degree in Economics and Law from the University of Bologna, with a thesis on the financing of hospital services. Her Research Project, in collaboration with IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, is aimed at analyzing institutional, organizational and financial models that enable efficient management of activities related to clinical trials.

Ambrogio Dionigi is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Management. Born in 1985, graduated in law (2009), qualified as a lawyer, holds a Level II master's degree in Administration and Territorial Governance (Luiss Guido Carli and SSAI Scuola superiore Amministrazione degli Interni, 2015) and one in Diversity management (G. Brodolini Foundation, 2018).
After working as lawyer at Professional Association prof. avv. Alessandro Gamberini (2010), he started his career as public manager in Metropolitan City of Bologna (2016), first working in the Mayor's Cabinet Office (2016) and then within the Economic Development Area (2019). He is currently in charge of the Office of Employment Policies and Services of the Metropolitan City and the Municipality of Bologna.
His research interests pertain to the relationship between Public administration and companies: collaboration, participation and co-production of services.

Supervisor: Ileana Steccolini; co-supervisor: Emanuele Padovani

Multilevel governance structures, financing and business models of social services in a comparative perspective.

Theme: Employment

Firdawss Gartite is PhD Student at the University of Bologna- Department of Management. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and International Relationships and a Master’s Degree in Health Economics, Management and Policy. She collaborates with the excellent Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in order to identify effective and efficient methods of managing public health services. Her primary research interests are related to public health, healthcare organizational management and cost analysis of clinical pathways. 

Supervisor: Emanuele Padovani; co-supervisor: Annamaria Gentili.

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 3.3 (DM 352/2022) and by the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute of Bologna.

Analysis of efficiency and effectiveness of innovative organizational and management solutions for surgical pathways: the complexity of inter-company institutional structures and hub and spoke networks. The research aims to analyze healthcare organizational models, with the aim of identifying the limits and potential of the widespread model. By focusing on the analysis of a case of excellence, the research aims to identify efficient management methods, allowing a better allocation of resources.

Giulia Marino is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Political and Social Science.Her research project focuses on the evaluation of Ukrainian refugees’ management policy implemented in Italy following the Russian invasion in 2022. The analysis will have first a focus on the international/European dimension and then a more in-depth analysis on the Italian case with the discussion of Social Innovation practices derived from the homestay solution foreseen for Ukrainian refugees.
 From 2020 to 2022, she was working in a consulting firm providing technical assistance services to public administrations in the management of co-funded programs financed by the European Union. Specifically, the working group she belonged provided technical assistance to the Ministry of the Interior, at the Department of Civil Liberties and Immigration which was the Managing Authority of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for the ‘14-‘20 period. 

Supervisor: Loris Vergolini; co-supervisor: Michela Ceccorulli.

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 4.1 (DM 351/2022) - Public Administration.

Analysis of Innovation in the PA and digital transition of the PA, with particular attention to the digitalization of health services and administrations. Analysis and plans for tertiary education policies, analysis of innovative tools and strategies, social innovation and the Third Sector. The objective of the research project consists in the in-depth analysis of the regulations that apply to migrants entering Italy with a specific focus on asylum seekers and on how these regulations can influence active participation in different areas of life (education, health and labor market, for example). The results that emerge from the research work will have the ultimate aim of providing a contribution to the definition and design of innovative tools and strategies to promote economic and social integration. Strategies that can then be implemented by entities belonging to the 3rd sector.

Sahar Paktinat is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Economics. Holding a Master's in Health Economics at the University of Bologna, her passion leans towards public healthcare. Her research, conducted in collaboration with the IRCCS Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, inquires the role of human capital in specialized scenarios like high-volume orthopaedic surgery.
The objective of the thesis is to pinpoint specific organizational and professional attributes that dictate such outcomes. To achieve this, a thorough analysis of patient records, juxtaposed with hospital and surgeon data, has been undertaken.

Beyond her research endeavours, she has mentored students in “Macroeconomics” at the Bachelor's level in the Economics and Business course for the a.y. 2022-2023, and has a rich experience in teaching English as a second language.
Her research interests include Health Economics, Applied Microeconomics, Public Economics

Supervisor: Rossella Verzulli; co-supervisor: Cristina Ugolini. 

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 3.3 (DM 352/2022) and by the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute of Bologna

The role of human capital in a highly specialized context: the case of high-volume orthopedic surgery. The project, in collaboration with the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, aims to identify the professional and organizational characteristics that determine the outcomes of surgical interventions with medium-high volumes (e.g. hip replacement). Using longitudinal data and information on the pre-operative conditions of patients and validated indicators of post-operative outcome, we study to what extent clinical practice volumes contribute to improving the quality of services, after controlling for persistent individual characteristics of operators (l effect of “learning by doing”). Exploiting the exogenous reduction in post-Covid volumes we explore the rate of depreciation of human capital on clinical outcomes in a dynamic learning context, controlling for both individual fixed effects and accumulated experience.

Daniele Panzeri is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Political and Social Sciences. He is currently the Coordinator of the Migration and Development Unit at the International Organization for Migrations-IOM Coordination Office for the Mediterranean.
He previously worked for various international NGOs (UNA, CESVI, Save the Children, ActionAid) and for the Italian Cooperation. In twenty years of international experience in the Development sector he has worked in Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Nepal, Pakistan and Burma/Myanmar, where he lived with his family.
Graduated in Sociology at the University La Sapienza, he later obtained a Master's degree in Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development at the Australian National University and he is currently a PhD student in Public Governance Management and Policy at the University of Bologna.  During his career he has been working on a variety of different sectors focusing on Participatory Development, Migration and Social Impact.

Supervisor: Andrea Bassi; co-supervisor: Ileana Steccolini.

The aim of the research is to delve into the methods of involving citizens and creating multi-level governance that make not only the planning and evaluation phases of the services and actions for which public administrations are responsible more participatory, but above all the phase of implementation of actions and provision of services. Effective management is not limited only to increasing participation, but to a real change in the principles on which management techniques are based

To do so, it aims to analyze the opportunities offered by adaptive management applied to the Italian public administration, in particular to the actions envisaged by the PNRR with a particularly attentive look at the actions implemented at local level.

Mario Pontieri is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Management. He holds a degree in Law, a specialization Diploma in Industrial and Labor Relations and a Master’s Degree in Health Law, from University of Bologna. He obtained the title of lawyer. He has been working at the University of Bologna since 1999, playing roles of sector manager in the administrative- management area. His main research interests include public management, public leadership, organizational wellbeing, impact of technological innovation on organisational environments, human resources management.

Supervisor: Angelo Paletta; co-supervisor: Emanuele Padovani; Chris Bezzina.

The role of human, social and financial capital, cultural/educational institutions and policy-making in the processes of promoting and managing innovation and entrepreneurship from an inclusion perspective.

Theme: Smart Working

Gian Lorenzo Preite is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Management.

Graduated in Statistics and Economics at the University of Bologna and with Executive Master in Institutional Relations, Lobbying and Public Affairs, he gained a multi-year experience as Export and Business development manager at mainly multinational companies. Reliable and enthusiastic, he speaks six languages, has a deep interest in policy analysis and in 2017 with Professor Gherardo Girardi he was co-author of the paper "Escaping the economist's straightjacket: overcoming the free-rider mentality which prevents climate change from being effectively addressed", as chapter of the book “Climate Change Research at Universities”.

Supervisor: Emanuele Padovani; co-supervisor: Giuseppe Cappiello.

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 4.1 (DM 351/2022) - Public Administration.

Multilevel governance structures, financing and business models of social services in comparative optics. The project addresses the research question of how to improve social assistance policies provided by local governments, identifying which public and private actors are involved, how they are organized and indicating local best practices; the research also adopts a comparative perspective (within the EU). The project is carried out in close collaboration with the National Observatory for Territorial Social Services (ONSST) of the CNEL - National Council for Economy and Work, with which the Department of Management already collaborates.

Oreste Sabatino is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Political and Social Sciences. Master’s degree in Law at University of Pisa, Master’s degree in Innovation and Competition Law at LUISS ""Guido Carli"" in Rome. Qualified to practice law, I collaborate with the law firm Carrozza - Pignatelli of Pisa. 

The research topics deal with the subject of green transition, with regard to legislative and administrative models, in a comparative law.

Supervisor: Sabrina Ragone; co-supervisor: Adoración Galeria Victoria (Universidad de Granada).

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 4.1 (DM 351/2022) - Public Administration.

Analysis of policy making and the legal framework of multi-level and multi-stakeholder governance with particular attention to social policies, environmental policies and economic development. Analysis of the legal and policy making aspects of environmental and sustainability policies, taking into account the impact of multi-level governance and the co-presence of different stakeholders. Adoption of the comparative methodology to contextualise the Italian experience in the European regulatory and political framework, with particular regard to social, environmental policies and economic development.

Elena Sinico is PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Management. Her research focuses on the management of migratory movements, with particular attention directed toward the fundamental role played by Non-Profit Organizations in advancing the integration of asylum seekers. Her research aims to assess the effectiveness of the asylum seeker integration process, with a special emphasis on women's experiences. Specifically, through the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods, her doctoral dissertation examines the configuration of the asylum seekers' integration process and the role of gender in shaping it.

Supervisor: Federica Bandini; co-supervisor: Daniela Bolzani.

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 4.1 (DM 351/2022) - Public Administration.

The role of human, social and financial capital, cultural/educational institutions and policy-making in the processes of promoting and managing innovation and entrepreneurship from an inclusion perspective. In particular, the research focuses on the management of migrant-refugees from a multi-level governance perspective in order to identify new sustainable reception models.

Susanna Tinti is a PhD Student at the University of Bologna - Department of Economics.
Her research interests concern the Public Sector, in particular on Policy Evaluation in education, and consequences of Performance Management in Public Organizations. Her previous research focused on Non-Financial Disclosure and Sustainability.
She holds a bachelor’s in economics at the University of Bologna and a master’s in business administration, at University of Bologna.
She was academic tutor for the Master Course “Environmental auditing and corporate social responsibility” for the a.y. 2021-2022 and 2022-2023; and for the Bachelor course ““Business Administration and Accounting” for the a.y. 2022-2023.
From 2021 to 2022 she worked as sustainability and risk-compliance consultant, supporting the team in drafting integrated reporting, analyzing emerging ESG risks and in creating and monitoring sustainable targets.

Supervisor: Margherita Fort; co-supervisor: Annalisa Lo Viglio.

Scholarship financed by the European Union - NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 4.1 (DM 351/2022) - Public Administration.

Analysis of public policies: from design to impact assessment with attention to the role of nudging and incentives. Design, methods and case studies applied to interventions or innovative public policies in one or more of the following areas: reduction of inequality and poverty, investments in human capital, promotion of socially responsible behavior (for example: waste management, reduction of waste, sustainable mobility), local public policies also using geo-referenced data and examining spatial interdependencies. The training and research objective includes acquiring skills for the impact assessment of public policies, with a distinction between monitoring/accountability and impact assessment with counterfactual methods, and the application to case studies. The counterfactual evaluation can be accompanied by monitoring activities, aimed at accounting for how the resources have been used.