Knowledge and Scholarships: Bocconi Pays Tribute to Luca Attanasio

Luca Attanasio, the Italian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) killed on 22 February in the North Kivu region, was a Bocconi Alumnus. The University will pay tribute to him, on Tuesday, 15 June, with a discussion on "State Capacity, Natural Resources and Conflict in the DRC" (4pm).

Organized by the Laboratory for Effective Anti-poverty Policies (LEAP), the discussion will have the double goal of advancing knowledge on a topic dear to Luca Attanasio, who served as Ambassador to the DRC from 2017, and to present a scholarship fund set up by Bocconi Alumni in his name. The fund has already collected enough money from over 800 donors to benefit five students.

"I can only imagine the emotions and the deep sense of responsibility of the students who receive this scholarship as they try to follow his example," one of the donors wrote.

Introduced by Rector Gianmario Verona and Dean of Fundraising and Alumni Engagement Bruno Busacca, and closed by Luca's father Salvatore Attanasio, the discussion, chaired by LEAP Scientific Director Eliana La Ferrara, will showcase recent research on the DRC by James Robinson, University of Chicago ("The Really Existing Congolese State: A Hypothesis"), Raul Sanchez de la Sierra, University of Chicago ("The Organization of Armed Groups"), and Judith Verweijen, University of Sheffield ("Making Sense of Eastern DRC's Militarized Political Economy").

Registration is open until Tuesday, 15 June, at 10am, CLICKING HERE.