"Unexpected Inclusions: Migration, Mobility and the Open City" abstract Self-organisation of migrant association, independent civil society initiatives and established ritualised practices of inclusion in the city occur outside formal migration and integration policies and improve the dynamics of belonging and peaceful coexistence between the established and newcomers. Rather than crisis discourses, we are interested in routinised…

"ENRICHISSEMENT. Une critique de la marchandise" at CLE

"Common Good, Common Interest – Public Good, Public Interest. What Do We Promote (and Prevent) with Lifestyle Regulation Policies?" abstract Lifestyle risks account for a major part of the global burden on health as well as on welfare and security. The oldest part of welfare state institutions and policies have been directed at lifestyle issues:…

"Twisting and turning: Moral deliberations of borderworkers on the EU’s Mediterranean external border" ABSTRACT Borderworkers challenge the dominant notion of the ‘humanitarian border’ and in so doing, their portrayal as ‘cogs in the wheel’. This is significant since institutional actors position themselves along the humanitarian-security axis. Borderworkers as frontline field personnel working ‘on the ground’…

"Trade unions action in segmented labour markets: migrant care work in the UK and the NL" abstract The recent ‘Brexit’ decision by the UK has provided a strong illustration of a widespread negative perception of immigration and migrant labour as detrimental to welfare resources and decent employment conditions. However, this debate has often ignored political…

"The seduction of applied conformity with female genital cutting as an example" abstract Female genital cutting puts millions at risk of serious health problems throughout life. It is an ancient practice based on deeply embedded cultural attitudes that are difficult to change. In many countries, female genital cutting continues to be widespread even though governments…

"Cross-Country Comparison of Individual and Structural Aspects of Gender Inequality" abstract The comparative research of long-term trends largely neglects structural mechanisms of gender inequality, i.e. the gender bias in which jobs and activities are evaluated and rewarded. I argue that as more women become integrated in positions of power, the stronger the role of structural…

"Austerity. Where and when democratic politics still matters" Abstract In 2010-2015 almost all democratic countries pursued austerity, i.e. they attempted to reduce public deficits. We study the political strategies and options of governments during austerity periods using a new data set on austerity during 2010-2015 for 30 democratic nations. We ask where and when democratic…

"Fathers at work: explaining the gaps between entitlement to leave and flexible working policies and their uptake" abstract Much workplace support to parents offered by employers in the United Kingdom is gender neutral in design, but fathers’ usage rates are generally very low and far below that of mothers. Why are fathers unlikely to use…

"Deliberative minipublics and policy making. A comparison of two deliberative processes on highly controversial issues" abstract Over the last few decades, deliberative minipublics have been used as inclusive and innovative practices to integrate traditional policy-making. Because of their policy-oriented aim, but also owing to the usually not legally-binding nature, some scholars have recently pointed out the…

Open Lecture: "The Uses of Social Investment" abstract Over the past years, the notion of social investment gained considerable traction in scholarly debates over welfare state futures. While social investment policy prescriptions have been progressively taken seriously in domestic social reform, evident by significant convergence and spending hikes on social investment policies in areas of…

"Five Characteristics of Youth Unemployment in Europe. Flexibility, Education, Migration, Family Legacies, and EU Policy" at Campus Luigi Einaudi, aula 3D440 abstract Current levels of youth unemployment need to be understood in the context of increased labor market flexibility, an expansion of higher education, youth migration, and family legacies of long-term unemployment. Compared with previous…

"The gap between work-family preferences and employment trajectories of mothers in 12 countries" Abstract This study examines the consistency between attitudes towards maternal employment and the actual employment trajectories of partnered mothers in 12 Western and non-Western countries. We compared what mothers considered the best option (working full time, part time or staying at home)…

"Deliberation across Deep Divisions" abstract In group discussions of any kind there tends to be an up and down in the level of deliberation. To capture this dynamic we coined the concept of Deliberative Transformative Moments (DTM). In deeply divided societies deliberation is particularly important in order to arrive at peace and stability, but deliberation is also very…

"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…