INSPIRE

Better Access to Public Services Can Save Millions of Lives in Developing Countries

Erika Deserranno has won an ERC Starting Grant for the project DIGIDEV (Digitalization of Public Service Delivery and Inclusive Development), investigating how technology can influence supply and demand of basic services to reduce inequalities and boost growth.

Challenging Stereotypes to Unlock Equal Opportunities in Education

Michela Carlana has won an ERC Starting Grant for the project SOFIA (Stereotypes and Opportunities: Fostering Interactions and Awareness) which aims to study the formation of stereotypes and test policies designed to mitigate educational inequalities, building on insights from behavioral economics and machine learning techniques.

Evidence for Change. 10 Years of LEAP

LEAP marks 10 years of advancing rigorous research to fight poverty. Save the date for the policy event on 17 June at Bocconi University, bringing together global voices to explore how evidence can shape policy, strengthen institutions, and improve lives.

AIBE Workshop 2026: Resources, Institutions & Development

The 2026 Workshop of the Italian-Brazilian Economics Association (AIBE) is organized jointly with Bocconi University and FGV Ceri (Centro de Estudos em Regulação e Infraestrutura, Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro). In the 2026 edition, the Workshop places particular emphasis on energy economics as a strategic area of
bilateral interest.

The evolution of gender norms in developing countries

Stefano Fiorin has won a FIS Starting Grant for investigating how social norms and collective behaviors influence women's economic and political participation in three very different contexts: Kenya, Indonesia, and Nepal.

And Justice for All? The individual determinants of access to justice: evidence from population-wide data

Diogo Britto has obtained FIS funding for a project analyzing the individual determinants of access to justice.

Making Institutions Visible: Public Legal Knowledge in Informal Economic Settings

Alexia Delfino and Irene Solmone have obtained a ReCIPE Research Grant for a full-scale RCT in Lusaka, Zambia, exploring the role of legal institutions in promoting business collaboration among entrepreneurs.

Latest news

AIBE Workshop 2026: Resources, Institutions & Development

The 2026 Workshop of the Italian-Brazilian Economics Association (AIBE) is organized jointly with Bocconi University and FGV Ceri. In the 2026 edition, the Workshop places particular emphasis on energy economics as a strategic area of bilateral interest.

LEAP Conference

As LEAP marks its 10th anniversary, it will host the LEAP Conference, which will take place on 18–19 June at Bocconi University, with leading international scholars working on education, health, inequality, gender, political economy, labor markets, and climate resilience. The conference will feature keynote lectures by Rohini Pande (Yale University) and Asim Khwaja (Harvard Kennedy School).

Evidence for Change. 10 Years of LEAP

INSPIRE launches its first PhD Student Grant

The INSPIRE PhD Student Grant just launched. The program aims to support students engaged in research aligned with the center’s mission.

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Research Units

LEAP

LEAP aims at reducing poverty around the world through the design, the analysis and the dissemination of effective anti-poverty programs. We do this by combining original data collection and rigorous scientific research in order to offer reliable solutions to policy-makers, seeking to improve the lives of the poor.

CLEAN

CLEAN investigates criminal behavior employing detailed data and frontier quantitative methods. We are particularly interested in the activity of criminal organizations pursuing complex illicit businesses such as drug trafficking, corruption, and money laundering.

ABLE

The ABLE research unit investigates how disability shapes the lives of individuals and their families, with the aim of generating rigorous evidence for more effective and inclusive social policy. We study the consequences of disability for health, education, employment, social participation, caregiving, and family well-being, with particular attention to the role of institutions, culture, and social inequality.