INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE COOPERATION

Details: Ph.D. project at University of Konstanz; ongoing work with multiple co-authors
Funding: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD); University of Konstanz; University of Essex
Duration: October 2010 - present

Summary

This project focuses on the negotiations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and explores the determinants of climate decision making. Three questions motivated this project: 1) What are the domestic sources of national positions at the UNFCCC? 2) How does the salience of climate change affect national success at the UNFCCC? 3) Can weak countries shape the final agreements at the climate negotiations? More recent work builds on the findings of this project in order to validate their dynamics in newer UNFCCC negotiations.

Data

I collected an original dataset of countries' positions on several "issues" raised at the UN climate negotiations. I performed a content analysis of the UNFCCC National Communications and the climate agreements. The dataset tracks positions, salience and outcomes at 2 points in time: the years before the Kyoto Protocol enforcement (2001-04) and the post-Kyoto Protocol negotiation years (2008-11). Here are the "UNFCCC Negotiations Dataset" files and the coding notes. 


CLIMATE POLICY, VULNERABILITY AND COMPENSATION 

Details: Collaborative research project with Dustin Tingley and Nikhar Gaikwad 
Funding: International Balzan Prize (Bob Keohane); Global Challenges Research Fund (University of Essex)
Duration: April 2018 - present

Summary

This project seeks to explain the role of compensation in mobilizing people in support of climate policy. We focus on the preferences of climate policy compensation of general populations in the United States and India, as well as the preferences of people in targeted communities that are either at risk of the economic losses of decarbonization or are vulnerable to climate-related disasters.

Data

We fielded several surveys in the United States and India. Data will be posted at completion of the project.

FINANCIAL CRISES, INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS, AND THE EU

Details: Collaborative project with Gerald Schneider and follow-up project with Hector Hermida
Funding: University of Konstanz, University of Essex
Duration: August 2012 - present 

Summary

The handling of the sovereign debt crisis in the European Union has raised fears of democratic deficit and mass appraisal. Theoretical conjectures go that decision making in the countries of the Union has become less democratic, that the ECB now calls the shots in Europe, and that fiscal consolidation will exponentially increase the severity of mass protests.  This project confronts these perspectives with a systematic analysis of historical information on European economic crises. 

Data

Together with co-authors, I compiled historical datasets on political protests, institutional change and bailout conditions during and after the EU financial crises. Original data on political protests and monetary interventions during the recent Eurocrisis (monthly data up to 2014) are here.


 

IMMIGRATION AND PUBLIC OPINION

Details: Collaborative research project 
Funding: British Academy/Leverhulme; University of Essex ESSEXLab
Duration: April 2015 - present

Summary

Governments across developed countries growingly face decisions over whether to open their borders and provide welfare to foreign immigrants. Public opinion can be a major factor in the willingness of governments to use public funds for this purpose. This project looks at the scenario in which publics exposed to tragic migration — that is, migration that is linked to humanitarian crises and failures of international cooperation — assess the entry of migrants. We aim at clarifying how strongly emotional triggers affect considerations due to threats of social competition, past immigration experience and proximity to point of entry of immigrants. 

Data

The data collection focuses on Italy and involves surveys, archival work and media content analysis, as well as field experiments and qualitative interviews.

Read the summary of research in Italy (including original interviews in Sicily) here. 



MASS WELFARE AND PROGRESSIVE TAXATION

Details: Postdoctoral research project with Kenneth Scheve and David Stasavage
Funding: Stanford University and New York University
Duration: September 2013 - April 2016

Summary

Studying the evolution of income inequality requires information on taxation measures. This project seeks to track and understand historical top rates of income taxes in twenty developed countries from 1816 (or the date of national independence) until today.

Data

The database was compiled by consulting original legislation and fiscal documents for each of the twenty countries of interest. The final data and the related codebook can be found here.