Research on Organized Crime Strengthened
THANKS TO A MARIE SKLODOWSKA CURIE POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP, LAVINIA PIEMONTESE WILL WORK FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS AT BOCCONI'S CLEAN, CRIME: LAW AND ECONOMIC ANALYSISLavinia Piemontese, after a PhD in Barcelona and a stint at the Department of Economics of ENS in Lyons, has been assigned a Marie SkÅ‚odowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship funded by the European Union. For the next two academic years, therefore, she will work at CLEAN (Crime: Law and Economic Analysis), the research group that studies the impact on the economy of illicit activities, in particular organized crime, under the scientific direction of Paolo Pinotti. Piemontese herself says that “there is no more qualified center in Europe on this subject” and on the other hand European authorities are particularly keen on these matters.
The researcher will focus on the study of the damage caused by organized crime in terms of reduced GDP growth, for example as a result of inefficient allocation of public contracts due to the influence on decision-making processes by mobsters.
This impact can be quantified drawing on available data (police reports and other evidence) through the development of rather complex econometric models which, by linking the “micro” effect to the economy as a whole, single out the effects of criminal influences and then estimate how much has been lost in terms of GDP precisely because of the infiltration by organized crime.
The development of these models, however, is only the first part of what Piemontese plans to do at Bocconi. The results of her research, considering their high social value, will also be disseminated through articles and public events which she intends to follow passionately.
by Andrea Costa
