The Public Economics group is composed by Faculty members with interests in public and political economics.  

Our research covers several topics in both broad fields. On public economics, members of the group have been working on topics such as optimal taxation and tax evasion, crime economy, fiscal federalism, local taxation and secession theory, European fiscal rules, debt sustainability,and public procurement. On political economics, members of the group have addressed issues such as optimal electoral rules, the impact of media on politics, the political “transparency” of different fiscal rules, the emergence of populism and the selection of the political class. A distinctive element of the research of the group is the extensive use of data from local governments, both from Italy and abroad, to test alternative theories. 

Our teaching activity includes courses at all levels, both at the BA and Master level and both in Italian and English.

Research centres: CIFREL

Among the research contributions of Department’s members in this area are:

• Turati G., with Beraldo S., and Piacenza M. 2022. “The importance of the future when deciding levels of personal responsibility and demand for redistribution”, Economic Modelling, vol. 116.
• Cipullo, D., and Reslow, A. 2022. “Electoral Cycles in Macroeconomic Forecasts”, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 202: 307-340.
• Colussi, T., M. Anelli, and A. Ichino. 2022. “Rule Breaking, Honesty and Migration”, forthcoming in Journal of Law and Economics.
• Le Moglie, M., A. Aassve, and G. Daniele. 2022. “Never Forget the First Time: The Persistent Effects of Corruption and the Rise of Populism in Italy”, forthcoming in Journal of Politics.
• Le Moglie, M., and D. Cipullo. 2022. “To Vote, or Not To Vote? On the Epidemiological Impact of Electoral Campaigns at the Time of COVID-19”, European Journal of Political Economy, 72, 102118.
• Colombo, L., K. Aktas, G. Argentin, G.P. Barbetta, and G. Barbieri. 2022. “High School Choices by Immigrant Students in Italy: Evidence from Administrative Data”, forthcoming in The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy.
• Cipullo, D., F. Carozzi, and L. Repetto. 2022. “Political Fragmentation and Government Stability. Evidence from Local Governments in Spain”, forthcoming in American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.
• Cipullo, D. 2021. “Voting Systems and Fiscal Policy: Evidence from Runoff and Plurality Elections”, National Tax Journal, 74 (2): 347-376.
• Barbetta, G.P., G. Sorrenti, and G. Turati. 2021. “Multigrading and Child Achievement”, Journal of Human Resources, vol. 56 (3): 940-968.
• Bordignon, M., M. Gamalerio, and G. Turati. 2020. “Manager of professional politician? Local fiscal autonomy and the skills of elected officials”, Regional Science and Urban Economics, 83 (C ).
• Xiang D., L. Zhanb, and M. Bordignon. 2020. “A reconsideration of the sugar sweetened beverage tax in a household production model”, Food Policy, 95.
• Colombo, L., and M. Botta. 2020. “The Value of Voting Rights in Italian Cooperative Banks: A Quasi-Natural Experiment”, in Managerial Finance.
• Colussi, T., I.E. Isphording, and N. Pestel. 2020. “Minority salience and political extremism”, in American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.
• Le Moglie, M., and G. Sorrenti. 2020. “Revealing "Mafia Inc."? Financial Crisis, Organized Crime, and the Birth of New Enterprises”, forthcoming in Review of Economics and Statistics.
• Turati, G., F. Padovano, and F. Scervini. 2020. “Comparing governments’ efficiency at supplying income redistribution”, in Constitutional Political Economy.
• Buso, M. 2019. “Bundling versus Unbundling: Asymmetric Information on Information Externalities”, Journal of Economics, 128 (1): 1-25.
• Attanasi, G., K. Boun My, M. Buso, and A. Stenger. 2019. “Private Investment with Social Benefits under Uncertainty: The dark side of public financing”, Journal of public economic theory: 1-52.
• Le Moglie, M., and G. Turati. 2019. “Electoral Cycle Bias in the Media Coverage of Corruption News”, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 163: 140-157.
• Buso, M., and A. Stenger. 2018. “Public-Private Partnerships as a policy response to climate change”, Energy Policy, 119: 487-494.
• Avenali, A., A. Boitani, G. Catalano, T. D’Alfonso, and G. Matteucci. 2018. “Assessing standard costs in local public bus transport: A hybrid cost model”, Transport Policy, 62: 48-57.
• Colussi, T. 2018. "Social Ties in Academia: a Friend is a Treasure", Review of Economics and Statistics, 100 (1): 45-50.
• Bordignon, M., T. Nannicini, and G. Tabellini. 2017. “Single round vs. runoff elections under plurality rule: A theoretical analysis”, European Journal of Political Economy, 49 (C): 123-133.
• Bordignon, M., V. Grembi, and S. Piazza. 2017. “Who do you blame in local finance? An analysis of municipal financing in Italy”, European Journal of Political Economy, 49: 146-163.
• Buso M., F. Marty, and P. Tra Tran, “Public-private partnerships from budget constraints: Looking for debt hiding?”, International Journal of Industrial Organization, 51 (C): 56-84.
• Montolio, D., M. Piacenza, and G. Turati. 2017. “Funding and School Accountability: The Importance of Private and Decentralised Public Funding for Pupil Attainment”, Fiscal Studies, 38 (4): 615-639.
• Avenali, A., A. Boitani, G. Catalano, T. D’Alfonso, and G. Matteucci. 2016. “Assessing standard costs in local public bus transport: evidence from Italy”, Transport Policy, 52: 164-174.
• Baglioni, A., A. Boitani, and M. Bordignon. 2016.  “Labor Mobility and Fiscal Policy in a Currency Union”, FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis, 72 (3): 1-36.
• Barbetta, G.P., S. Pellegrino, and G. Turati. 2016. “What explains the redistribution achieved by the Italian Personal Income Tax? Evidence from administrative data”, Public Finance Review, 46 (1): 7-28.
• Bordignon, M., T. Nannicini, and G. Tabellini. 2016. “Moderating Political Extremism: Single Round versus Runoff Elections under Plurality Rule”, American Economic Review, 106 (8): 2349-70.
• L. Colombo, and G. Turati. 2015. “Regulating European grant-making foundations. Lessons from the USA experience?", Journal of Policy Modeling, 37 (5): 763-781.
• Bordignon, M., A. Giglio, and G. Turati. 2015. “Soft budget constraints: the case of municipal bonds in Italy”, in J. Kim and H. Bloechliger (a cura di), Institutions of Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations, Challenges ahead, Paris: OECD Fiscal Federalism Studies.
• Grillo, M. 2015. Review of "Nicola Giocoli, Predatory Pricing in Antitrust Law and Economics: A Historical Perspective”, Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 37 (4): 635-637.
• Pieroni, L., and L. Salmasi. 2015. ‘’Does cigarette smoking affect body weight? Causal estimates from the Clean Indoor Air Law discontinuity”, Economica, 82 (328): 671-704.
• Oppedisano, V., and G. Turati. 2015. “What Are the Causes of Educational Inequality and its Evolution over Time? Evidence from PISA”, Education Economics, 23 (1): pp. 3-24.
• Balduzzi, P., C. Graziano, and A. Luporini. 2014. “Voting in Small Committees”, Journal of Economics, 111 (1): 69-95.
• Colombo, L., S. Brusco, and U. Galmarini. 2014. “Tax Differentiation, Lobbying, and Welfare”, Social Choice and Welfare, 42: 977-1006.