"Interethnic Relationships in Contemporary Communities: How does diversity affect solidarity and cooperation?" abstract The increasingly multiethnic nature of modern societies has spurred academic interest in the consequences of diversity. Recently, social scientists have linked ethnoracial diversity to undesirable outcomes, most notably, low levels of social capital, civic engagement, and cooperation. In my presentation, I challenge…

"Old versus new politics: The political spaces in Southern Europe in times of crises" at Campus Luigi Einaudi (classroom E2) abstract The presentation focuses on the party political spaces in four Southern European countries (i.e. Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain) since the onset of the Euro crisis. To understand the emerging conflict structures, it argues for…

"Exploring the Engagement of Social Workers in Social Policy" abstract Social workers are the professionals most associated with the modern welfare state and with its social policies.  These professionals are generally regarded as primarily street-level bureaucrats who implement the social policies determined by decision-makers.  However, a key ethos of the social work profession is that…

"How long is too long? Long-term effects of maternity-related job interruptions on mothers’ income in 10 European countries" abstract This article asks whether work interruptions due to childbearing and rearing have long-term effects on mothers’ absolute and relative income in later life in ten European countries. Previous studies have found significant differences in earned income…

"The nature and diffusion of conspiracy theories in Italy: an exploratory analysis" abstract Anecdotal evidence suggests that believing in conspiracy theories is widespread in the Italian public opinion, impacting dramatically on a number of aspects of the public debate. So far, little empirical evidence has been collected to assess the spread of beliefs in conspiracy theories and…

"Dynamics of income inequality in China in a comparative perspective" abstract In this paper, we use recent, high quality and nationally representative household panel data to explore the dynamics of income inequality and mobility in China, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Consistent with previous research, we report very high level of income…

"Measuring and Mapping Deliberation: Empirical and Conceptual Advances"

"Self-segregation, sociability and the internationalization of European upper classes"

"Constructing Response Strategies to the Euro Crisis: Groupthink, Identity and Ideas in Decision-Making" abstract The response strategy to the crisis of the single currency came with some delay and was shaped by the respective positions of national governments. There was considerable disunity and disagreement at that level. These disagreements stemmed from ideas about different conceptions…

"Women’s and men’s education and partnership formation: Does the field of education matter?" Abstract Using data from the Gender and Generation Survey, this study explores the effect of field of education on first union formation for women and men born since the 1960s in Norway, Austria, Belgium and Poland. Educational attainment is known to influence…

"Institutional clocks and family structures on the organization of care for children in Italy" Abstract Using time-use data for Italy (2008-09), on a sample of around 3.800 households with children below 14, this paper assesses the differences in the amount of time parents devote to childcare in differently shaped family structures (marital or cohabiting union,…

"The Contribution of Cultural Change to Welfare State Change - Tracing Cultural Processes" at Campus Einaudi (CLE) Abstract The presentation aims to discuss the question: How can cultural change contribute to institutional change in welfare state institutions? The role of ideas for institutional change is increasingly discussed. The focus is usually on the ideas that are…

"Social Support and Network Composition of the Elderly in Europe"

"From Sex Roles to Gender Structure: Understanding Inequality for Social Change" at Campus Einaudi (CLE), Dept of Cultures, politics and society, 3rd floor, room D233 abstract This talk has three  major goals.  First, I provide a succinct intellectual history of research and theorizing about gender in the social sciences in the 20th Century until today.  I do…

"Gender, employment biographies and EU employment and social policy strategies" abstract Within the European Union, a number of demographic trends such as low fertility, rising life expectancy and the aging of the population have widely been discussed. Looking at the labour market, it can be observed that unemployment, the rise of precarious jobs and the…

"Institutional Change in South European Labour Market Regimes After the Crisis" abstract This paper seeks to map and compare change in labour markets regimes in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece in the aftermath of the financial crisis. While the extent of austerity policies in terms of fiscal retrenchment in these countries has been the subject of much interest, we still…

"The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP): Limiting Policy Space?" abstract The EU currently negotiates with the USA a comprehensive trade and investment agreement. The talk will provide a brief overview of the objectives, the differences between the trading partners, and the likely outcome of the negotiations. It will focus on the question to what…

"Social Assistance in Developing Countries: Progress, innovations, and challenges?" abstract Since the turn of the century, large-scale programmes providing regular and reliable direct transfers to households in poverty have mushroomed in in low- and middle-income countries. By 2010, conservative estimates indicate that around one billion people in low- and middle-income countries lived in households receiving…

"Moral Judgments, Material Sanctions, and Collective Action" at Campus Luigi Einaudi (Room 3D233) Abstract In group settings individuals can often benefit more by free-riding, letting others make costly contributions to collective efforts. The threat of free-riding makes the marshalling of cooperation from group members a fundamental challenge of social life. Drawing on classical sociological theory,…

"Welfare states in transition and E(M)U crisis management. The imperative of a post-neoliberal consensus" (Note: the seminar is on Tuesday) Abstract Half a decade after the Euro crisis, the EU is in dire need of a growth strategy that is – all at once – economically viable, politically legitimate and thus seen as socially fair. Without…