Projects 40th cycle

Department of Business Sciences (DiSA), doctoral scholarship on the central budget and co-financed by the Department of Business Sciences (DiSA) and SEFEA IMPACT.

Analysis of governance and organizational models and measurement and managerial management tools in different public service contexts; sub-topics: a) Business sustainability practices and evaluation of the effectiveness of public policies for the conservation of soil and natural resources; b) Impact investments, application of models generating social/environmental value.

The number of doctoral students for whom supervision on a specific topic is guaranteed is one.

Department of Statistical Sciences "Paolo Fortunati" (STAT), scholarship financed by the Emilia-Romagna Region as part of research training projects - Territory: Technological, cultural, economic and social transition towards sustainability - (PR. FSE + 2021/2027 – DGR n. 225 of 12/02/2024) - CUP J33C24000280006.

In particular:
a) dynamics of co-programming and co-planning in the regulation of relationships with external parties and with third sector bodies (new public governance);
b) the post-New Public Management transformations of PAs, the introduction of lean management principles and tools in the public sector;
c) multilevel management and regulatory response to crises in the migration, economic, health/pandemic, educational fields at national, European or global level;
d) development of innovative methodologies and tools for monitoring the implementation phases of policy interventions, for the design and governance of implementation structures and for the evaluation of interventions in relation to the objectives;
e) determinants of the success or failure of public policies.

Hospital and community care: payroll incentives, organizational models and appropriateness.
The objective is to contribute to the re-design and simplification of organizational models applied to community and hospital care, in order to ensure ever greater integration of the levels of care involved and greater effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of public action in this sector of intervention.

Policies for active aging and new intervention models for non-self-sufficiency.
The objective is to study the applications of the community welfare model and the possibilities of redefining public intervention in the context of social protection systems aimed at the elderly, especially the non-self-sufficient group. In particular, we examine more closely the possibilities for the public body to integrate its solidarity dimension by adequately taking into account the contribution of families, formal and informal caregivers and a plurality of subjects operating in the third sector and the economy.

We invite candidates interested in labor economics and educational economics topics with quantitative methods to demonstrate interest in this topic.

With reference to labor economics issues, research projects relating to the analysis of labor market dynamics (effects of the short week/flexible working hours) and the impact assessment of public policies with counterfactual methods are of particular interest, in particular referring to subsidies that influence the behavior of individuals and businesses. Submitted projects that clarify the type of data used/usable for impact assessment will be particularly appreciated. The experiences of potential supervisors concern both the ability to process data coming from surveys and from administrative and/or observational databases.

Research projects that focus on the emergence, persistence and causes of gender gaps in the labor market are of interest. In particular, projects in studying the impact of social norms on the career choices of men and women, analyzing how these norms influence professional decisions and career opportunities. Furthermore, projects interested in studying the short- and long-term effects associated with the introduction of positive actions (e.g. such as gender equity policies and inclusion initiatives), and how these can contribute to reducing gender disparities in the workplace. Projects may use an experimental methodology (e.g. laboratory experiments, survey experiments or field experiments). Interested doctoral students can access the BLESS infrastructure — Bologna Laboratory for Experiments in Social Science (unibo.it).

With reference to the topics of the economics of education, applications are advised in particular in the following research areas:

- Skill Matching: Study the alignment between the supply of skills and the demand for skills through the supply of educational programs and the demand of the labor market.
- Peer Impact: analyze how peers (friends, neighbors, classmates, colleagues) influence behaviors and outcomes.
- Orientation programs: evaluate the effectiveness of professional orientation programs both for training courses and for entry into the job market.
- Programs for disadvantaged children: evaluating the impact of educational programs designed to support disadvantaged children.
- The training of skills (cognitive and non-cognitive) at a young age: the role of parents, teachers, classmates (of particular interest are project proposals with reference to the training of skills in the 0-6 age group).
- Projects related to the topic of multitasking with applications to the areas of labor economics and education economics are of interest.

In particular, there is interest in research projects that use behavioral economics tools to explore the role of social norms and interventions useful in promoting the transition towards a low-carbon economy.

Oligopolies in which companies pursue different objectives (mixed oligopolies)
Privatization in theory and practice.
Cooperative enterprises: theoretical models and empirical evidence.

Incentives and motivations, monetary and otherwise.
Cooperation and coordination.
Ethics, business and society.

Preferences and attitudes regarding political choices (taxation, immigration, civil rights).
Social and political identities, values, and preferences.

Business sustainability practices and evaluation of the effectiveness of public policies for the conservation of soil and natural resources.

This project aims at producing quantitative evidence to support potential public and/or private strategies to reduce food waste along the food chain, with a particular focus on the analysis of trade-offs between waste reduction and other public and private goals related to food choice.