Today @fedebraccioli.bsky.social (@wuvienna.bsky.social) presented “Stigma and Policy Preferences in Taboo Markets: Sex Work Decriminalization”. With Sannah Tijani, using a US survey experiment, they show that stigma shapes policy preferences: reducing it boosts support for decriminalization.

Max Brès (@riksbank.se) presented "Aging Consumers, Competition, and Growth". With Daniele Angelini (University of Vienna), they find that shifts toward middle-aged consumer weaken product-market competition, impacting prices, output and productivity. The phenomenon causes ~2% drag on US GDP at peak

Last week we hosted the workshop “The Role of Firms in the Labor Markets” in beautiful Lugano. Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no. 882), the event featured more than 20 Switzerland-based young researchers in labor economics. And it was a lot of fun.

Today Claude Raisaro (@gvagrad.bsky.social) presented “Hidden discrimination in frictional labor markets". With Elisa Macchi (@brown.edu) they show gender gaps reflect competing frictions-trust vs harassment risk - not just bias: different constraints shift demand for women in opposite directions.

Today Matteo Grigoletto (@wyssacademy.bsky.social) presented “Virality: what makes narratives go viral, and does it matter?". With @kaigehring.bsky.social (Wyss), using climate policy tweets, they show that narratives—featuring heroes, villains, and victims—spread far more than neutral messages.

Today Scott Baker (@uwmadison.bsky.social) presented "Anticipatory Spending", joint work with M. Gelman (@cmc.edu), L. Kueng (@usiidep.bsky.social) and S. Lee (Northwestern University).  They cluster consumers into behavioral types, showing that responses to income changes depend on these profiles.

Today @pinchofdata.bsky.social (Bocconi University) presented "Measuring Crime Reporting and Incidence: Method and Application to #MeToo". He finds that #MeToo led to higher victim reporting and arrest probabilities, while also deterring sex crimes. #economics

📣 Happy to share that the new IdEP Econ Seminar Series is about to begin: first talk in one week! 📆 All seminars: 12:00-13:15 | Executive Center (USI Lugano Main Building). Find the full program here: idep.usi.ch/storage/app/... If interested, please contact us here or via email: [email protected]

📢 Applications are open for the MSc in Economics at USI in Lugano! Taught fully in English, the program offers rigorous research training, double-degree options, and close interaction with professors. 👉Find more: www.usi.ch/en/education...

📢Last week to apply to #WISE2026, our workshop for junior researchers in #Economics! Submit your research by Monday Dec. 22nd, 2025! Don't miss the chance to present your work surrounded by the Swiss Alps. More info: drive.google.com/file/d/1eGj6OMZc3xalN3XR4dLtk72D91M-V2Aw/view?usp=sharing #Econ

Today @mariusbrulhart.bsky.social (@heclausanne.bsky.social) presented “Unfree Wills: Inheritance Rules, Bequest Motives and Wealth Diffusion”. W/ L. Soler (@heclausanne.bsky.social), they use unique will data and show that more freedom shifts bequests to partners and, if none, to non-relatives.

📕This week @maxfil1963.bsky.social presented his new book "Introduction to Energy Economics and Policy", in Bellinzona. Co-authored with S. Srinivasan and published by @universitypress.cambridge.org, it offers insights into energy economics and the energy transition. 👉 doi.org/10.1017/9781...

Join @usiidep.bsky.social as a PhD student! 📚We offer: - 3 fully-funded positions for 5 years - Rigorous training: the first year is devoted to coursework at Study Center Gerzensee - Extensive support in research activities 👉Apply by January 15th: inomics.com/job/fully-fu...

📄 We are happy to share that the #CallforPapers of the 2nd edition of WISE is now open! 📅 May 5-7, 2026 in Airolo (CH) 🏔 🎤 Keynotes: @categennaioliqmul.bsky.social (@qmul.bsky.social) & @pietrobiroli.bsky.social (@unibo.it) Info: drive.google.com/file/d/1eGj6... Deadline: 22/12/25, 23.59 CET

Today Lorenzo Incoronato (U. of Naples) presented “Hiring subsidies and female employment”. With M. di Stefano (@cep-lse.bsky.social) and A. Raute (@qmul.bsky.social), he shows that subsidies boost hiring of non-employed women and, as firms learn from these hires, raise long-run hiring for women.

Matthias Rodemeier (Università Bocconi) presented “Positive vs. Normative Disagreement in Optimal Income Taxation”, coauthored with Gregory Sun (WashU). The study tests views on helping low-income people: most are generous on private transfers but oppose tax-based redistribution due to gov. aversion

Meet our #EconJobMarket candidates! Tai Lo Yeung is on the Job Market this year. He specializes in applied #Finance and focuses on #householdfinance and #behavioralfinance. 👉 Read his Job Market Paper: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... 👉 Learn more about him here: tlyeungae.github.io 🧵1/3

Meet our #EconJobMarket candidates! Flora Marchioro is on the Job Market this year. She is an #AppliedEconomist specialized in #CarbonMarkets and #EnergyEconomics. 👉 Read her Job Market Paper: floramarchioro.github.io/files/Marchi... 👉 Learn more about her here: floramarchioro.github.io 🧵1/3

📢Meet the 2025-26 @usiidep.bsky.social Job Market Candidates! We are proud to introduce our #JMC: Tai Lo Yeung and Flora Marchioro. In the coming posts, we will share more about their profiles and research. Explore our candidates and their #JMPs here: idep.usi.ch/job-market #EconJobMarket

📢Launching today the official LinkedIn page of the Department of Economics (@usiidep.bsky.social) at Università della Svizzera Italiana! 🎉 A young, research-oriented community of economists based in Lugano (CH). Meet our faculty, postdocs, PhD students & predocs! 👉 linkedin.com/company/usi-idep

👏 Congratulations to Patricia Funk on being elected to the @eeanews.bsky.social Council (2026–2031)! We are proud as @usiidep.bsky.social to celebrate our faculty’s excellence and leadership in economics. Discover more about her profile here: usi.to/ubk. #USIecon #Econbluesky

Congrats to Elias Papaioannou on being elected by EEA members Vice President 2026 Congrats also @florinbilbiie.bsky.social Julia Cagé, Pierre Dubois, Patricia Funk, Luis Garicano, Libertad González, Dorothea Kübler, Jan Stuhler & Séverine Toussaert on being elected to Council. .

Today Gabriela Deschamps @stoneeconucl.bsky.social presented "Motherhood and Violence". Using Mexican survey data, she shows that motherhood is linked to greater exposure to violence and lower likelihood of leaving a violent partner, highlighting the importance of fertility control.

Today Amanda Dahlstrand @econ.uzh.ch presented "Does Division of Labor Increase Productivity? Evidence from Primary Care". With Shan Huang (SSE & Copenhagen), Nestor Le Nestour (Stockholm), and Guy Michaels (LSE), they show productivity and outcome effects of telemedicine patient assignment.

🔍New research highlight! A new paper by our PhD student @alimok.bsky.social is now out on JEEM. Together with Hamed Ghoddusi (CalPoly), they study how replacing fuel subsidies with unconditional cash transfers affects inequality. Check the paper at www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Today @maxposch.bsky.social @uofebusiness.bsky.social presented "Doux Commerce: Markets, Culture, and Cooperation in 1850-1920 U.S." With Itzchak Raz (Hebrew University), they study how rising market integration fostered universalism and trust, shifting cooperation beyond kin-based ties.

Today at @usiidep.bsky.social we host the 7th Swiss Workshop on Local Public Finance and Regional Economics. Sessions cover: corporate taxation, efficiency costs of inheritance/income taxes & the BioNTech fiscal/economic effects, urban-rural productivity, skill sorting, and political budgeting.

🔍New research highlight! A new paper by our graduates @g-digiacomo.bsky.social (ifo Institute) and Benjamin Lerch (FFA) is finally out on ILR Review. They investigate how displaced workers adjusted to the introduction of #robots in local #labor markets in the US. #EconTwitter #USIEcon

Davide Cantoni (@econmunich.bsky.social) presented “Identity and Institutional Change: Evidence from First Names in Germany, 1700–1850." With Matthias Weigand & Cathrin Mohr, he shows that the 1789-1815 collapse of hegemonic powers shifted local identities from ruler-aligned to religious & national.

Happy to share that the new Econ Seminar Series in Lugano is ready to begin! Find hereby our speakers for the #Autumn25 Series! 📆Check out the full schedule below! idep.usi.ch/storage/app/... If interested, please contact us here or via our email: [email protected]

Congrats to Nicole Venus (@n-venus.bsky.social) on defending her PhD “Essays in Labour and Gender Economics” at @usiidep.bsky.social. Her research explores gender, labour & household economics. She will soon join the University of Bern (@unibe.ch) as a Postdoctoral researcher!

Congrats to Giuseppe Di Giacomo (@g-digiacomo.bsky.social) on defending his PhD at @usiidep.bsky.social. His work studies how shocks like automation and tourism reshape local labor markets and education. Next stop: Ifo Institut in Munich!

🇺🇸🇨🇭 A 39% US tariff on Swiss exports: what does it mean for Switzerland? @fabricolella.bsky.social (‪@usiidep.bsky.social‬) with ‪@rlalive.bsky.social‬ & S. Schroeter (UNIL‬) examine the impact on cantons & firms, and discuss possible policy responses about it. Read more: www.eco.usi.ch/en/feeds/9993

Congrats to IdEP PhD candidate Alda Marchese on being awarded the USI Doc-Mobility grant. She'll be visiting ‪@uclaanderson.bsky.social, hosted by Ricardo Perez-Truglia 🇺🇸🌴 Alda’s research examines how #socialnorms impact the #gendergap in voter turnout and if easing social pressure can reduce it

📣 Now open: Associate or Full Professor in Economics and Director of the Institute for Economic Research (IRE) at USI Lugano🇨🇭 IRE is looking for candidates with an international research profile in applied economics. Deadline: 31/08/2025 More info: shorturl.at/K5Njz

@mikkelmertz.bsky.social (@rockwoolfonden.dk) presented “Effects of a Housing Policy on Neighborhoods, Residential Mobility & Inequality”. With C.Dustmann (@ucl.ac.uk) & @rlandersoe.bsky.social (Rockwool), he finds that private coop ownership attracted affluent residents & widened areas inequality

📈 Francis Kramarz (Bocconi University, @college-de-france.fr, @uu.se) taught a PhD course on AKM models and the microeconometrics of matched employer-employee data. Topics included wage decomposition, firm/industry effects, and the role of networks.

Today, Andreas Kotsadam (@UniOslo) presented his joint work with S. Dahlum, T.Hanson, Å. Johnsen, and A. Wuttke on whether support for authoritarian rule is contagious. Using field & survey experiments in the Norwegian Armed Forces, they showed that it spreads via peer influence.

🎓 Apply for the Master in Economics at USI – Deadline: 30 June 2025! 👇 See program highlights & links below. #USIEcon #EconBluesky

Today @uglogowsky.bsky.social (@jku.at) presented “The Parenthood Penalty in Mental Health”, joint w. @ahammeralex.bsky.social (JKU Linz) @mhalla.bsky.social (@wuvienna.bsky.social) & T. Hener (@au.dk). They find parenthood imposes greater mental health burdens on mothers, leading to long-run gaps

Today, Manuel Bagues (@warwickecon.bsky.social) presented “Friends in Childhood and the Gender Equality Paradox”, coauthored with N. Zinovyeva (Warwick). They show that children in richer, more equal societies have fewer opposite-sex friends. Evidence suggests household income as the key driver.

Junior seminar today by Elodie Andrieu (@pse.bsky.social), presenting “Can Firm Subsidies Spread Growth?”, coauthored with John Morrow (PSE Paris). The results show that R&D support boosts firm hiring (especially technical workers) and triggers sectoral spillovers beyond the direct recipients.

A.Chevalier (@royalholloway.bsky.social) presented "When Parents Work from Home", joint work w. P.Achard (@crestsociology.bsky.social) & @michelebelot.bsky.social (@cornelluniversity.bsky.social). They find a positive effect of parental right to work from home on children's educational attainments.

Today, Matthias Weber presented a joint work with his @unisg.ch colleague I. Lampe: “Prospect Theory for Intertemporal Choice.” In a pre-registered experiment on a representative sample, they find decisions are best predicted by probability-weighted discounted utilities. #econbluesky #USIEcon

Today, Federica Meluzzi (CREST Paris) presented “The College Melting Pot: Peers, Culture and Women’s Job Search” at our junior seminar series. The study shows that exposure to college peers coming from more egalitarian areas shifts job preferences reducing early-career gender earnings gap. #USIEcon

Il turismo sta cambiando il mercato del lavoro e la vita in molte città. In questo articolo su Lavoce.info con @benjaminlerch.bsky.social raccontiamo come il suo impatto possa andare oltre a ristoranti pieni e piazze affollate, arrivando a influenzare le scelte educative dei giovani italiani.

@slaffitte.bsky.social (CYCergy & @taxobservatory.bsky.social) presented his research w. @manonf.bsky.social (Stanford), Malgouyres (@crest-research.bsky.social) & @mathieupar.bsky.social (@pse.bsky.social). They analyse 🇫🇷 Corporate Income Tax showing distributional impact & effects on factor prices

Today @ulrichkaiser.bsky.social (University of Zurich) presented "Persistent gender attitudes and women entrepreneurship". Using 1981 gender equality vote as a proxy, this joint work with José Mata shows that persistent gender norms positively affect women's current startup activity.

Francis Kramarz (@collegedefrance.bsky.social & Bocconi University) presented his work w. P.Choné (@crestumr.bsky.social) & O.Skans (Uppsala University) on skill bundling in labor markets, examining how firms match workers’ skills and how wages reflect comparative advantages in cognitive abilities

🗞️ Check out our Dean Giovanni Pica (@usiidep.bsky.social) discussing, in an interview for Corriere del Ticino, how USI’s Economics School prepares students for global challenges, combining research and policy to stimulate critical thinking. Access the full article at: www.usi.ch/en/feeds/31347