Descripción del proyecto
FIBRE Project (FIrms’ Behaviour in Rough Environments) aims to analyse how firms’ optimal behaviour changes in contexts affected by distortions related to the presence of organised crime or inefficient public procurement, and to measure the resulting welfare losses. How firm activity matters for long-rung growth and prosperity and the importance of the allocation of productive resources across firms as crucial determinant of aggregate output and productivity are topics that have been widely explored in the economic literature. Yet, there is still limited research examining the specific sources of market distortions. FIBRE aims to fill this gap examining two possible sources of market distortions: organised crime and inefficient public procurement to firms. FIBRE answers two crucial questions: (i) how the infiltration of organised crime impact firms’ behaviour and, in turn, shape aggregate outcomes; (ii) whether the efficiency through which a public resource is provided impacts firms’ behaviour and, consequently, implies aggregate costs. Answering these questions is of key importance for national and transnational policy makers in their efforts to guarantee a stable economic growth.
FIBRE is grounded on my competence in analysing theoretically and empirically firms’ behaviour in hostile environments, combining reduced-form analysis and structural econometrics tools, and the expertise of my host supervisor at the Bocconi’s research unit CLEAN on the economic effects of organised crime. This Fellowship will strengthen my research skills, reinforcing my professional maturity as senior assistant professor and external consultant. FIBRE will create high-quality new knowledge on the economic consequences of organised crime and inefficient public procurement systems, in line with the most recent EU initiatives.