I am an applied economist and policy analyst with a background in urban and regional economics and sustainable development. My main current interests include how cities and regions adapt to megatrends and transitions, the evolution of urban systems and settlement networks, and the application of strategic foresight, behavioural insights, and social innovation in territorial policies.
I have more than 15 years experience in territorial development analysis and policy. I combine a solid academic background with international policy-oriented experience, working closely with and national and regional governments, managing multi-stakeholder projects and contributing to evidence-based policy and governance.
I have been an economist at the OECD from 2020 to 2025, where I was responsible for the workstream on urban systems, carrying out evidence-based analysis and policy assessment on key topics such as national urban policies, medium-sized cities, shrinking cities and demographic change, urban–rural linkages, and accessibility to services. From 2016 to 2020, I was researcher and assistant professor at University of Pisa, Italy, where I teached microeconomics, industrial organization and economics of infrastructures. Earlier, from 2011 to 2016 I was economic researcher at the Regional Institute for Economic Planning of Tuscany, where I carried out analysis on local development.
My analytical foundation is rooted in ecological economics and the institutional approach, focusing on the interdependence between (eco)systems and the social rules that govern economic and social behavior and shape territorial development. I adopt a multidisciplinary approach that integrates rigorous evidence, field research, and stakeholder perspectives to understand and improve how territories evolve, and to turn knowledge into policy insights for making territories more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.
I hold a PhD in Economics from the University of Pisa, and a MSc in Spatial, Transport and Environmental Economics from VU University Amsterdam.
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