Research Projects
Populism on a Global Scale: Theory and Econometric Evidence
My master’s thesis abstract
The thesis investigates the relationship between the global rise of populism and the resurgence of protectionist trade policies. While populism has historically arisen in response to political and economic transformations, recent decades have witnessed its expansion into advanced democracies, driven by economic discontent, cultural backlash, and institutional distrust. Rooted in a broader context of globalization’s dislocations, growing inequality, and geopolitical instability, populist movements have increasingly framed global economic integration as a threat to national sovereignty and economic security. Drawing on a rich theoretical framework, this study examines how such movements, regardless of ideological orientation, often challenge the liberal international order and promote protectionist measures in response to the perceived uneven distribution of globalization’s gains, which has fueled public discontent and strengthened demands for economic closure. To test this hypothesis empirically, the study analyzes an unbalanced panel dataset covering 99 countries from 1999 to 2019, applying pooled OLS, country fixed effects, time fixed effects, and two-way fixed effects models. The analysis measures populism through the Populism Index and protectionism through applied weighted tariff rates, controlling for relevant macroeconomic and institutional variables. The findings reveal a positive and statistically significant, albeit modest, association between populism and tariff levels across all specifications. Robustness checks confirm the stability of results. These findings suggest that the global diffusion of populism may have tangible implications for international trade and economic openness. The thesis contributes to the growing literature in political economy by offering both a theoretical and empirical investigation of the economic consequences of populist governance, while also outlining policy implications and future avenues for research.
An Econometric Analysis of Income Inequality and Democracy Leveles
Summary of the project
Throughout history, democratic institutions have been widely associated with the idea of political inclusion and economic redistribution. From classical political thought to modern democratic theory, it is often assumed that citizen participation in governance empowers the less privileged and induces governments to respond more effectively to their needs. In this perspective, democracy is frequently conceived as a mechanism capable of reducing income inequality by shifting political power toward broader segments of society.
Yet, the empirical relationship between democracy and inequality remains highly debated. Some scholars find only a weak or ambiguous connection between the two phenomena, arguing that democratic institutions do not necessarily produce systematic redistributive outcomes. Others suggest that the impact of democracy on inequality depends on structural and institutional conditions, including the development of the public sector, the maturity of democratic institutions, and the duration of democratic governance. The experience of certain East Asian countries, which achieved relatively equal income distribution under authoritarian regimes, further complicates the picture. Moreover, even in democratic contexts, political competition may reflect middle-class preferences rather than the interests of the poorest segments of society, potentially limiting redistributive reforms.
At the same time, formal models of redistribution argue that democratization—especially through the expansion of the voting franchise—should empower lower-income groups and increase redistributive taxation. However, the global expansion of democracy over recent decades has not always been accompanied by a consistent decline in inequality. In light of recent democratic backsliding and the resurgence of autocratic regimes worldwide, the question of whether democracy systematically contributes to more equal income distribution becomes particularly relevant.
This paper investigates the contemporaneous relationship between democracy and income inequality across a broad sample of 145 countries over the period 2000–2020. The empirical analysis employs panel data techniques, and the findings indicate that higher levels of democracy are associated with lower income inequality at the global level. Although the magnitude of the effect is moderate, the results support the hypothesis that inclusive political institutions and electoral accountability mechanisms can foster redistributive outcomes. By combining theoretical insights and empirical evidence, this study contributes to ongoing debates in political economy regarding the distributive consequences of democratic governance.
Economic analysis of copyright protection on the web
Introduction to my bachelor’s thesis
The traditional concept of copyright has faced a significant crisis, but the new technologies have not suppressed creativity; rather, they have stimulated it, generating new and interesting forms of artistic expression linked to multimedia and digital platforms.
The word “crisis” in Chinese consists of two characters. One of these characters represents the concept of “danger,” and the other represents the concept of “opportunity.” The choice of the topic under discussion is motivated by the desire to examine both aspects, both the danger and the opportunity that, from an economic point of view, are envisaged regarding copyright due to the implications that the web and new digital technologies entail.
Economic Analysis of Law, the legal-economic discipline that seeks to examine, from a policy perspective, the influence of legal norms on social behaviors and their effectiveness in achieving certain objectives, emphasizing the importance and validity of these studies for a deeper and more informed understanding of the subject matter of this work. Economic Analysis of Law is based on a rational and incentive-centered approach, starting from the assumption that people act based on their interests and the opportunities created by the legal norms in force at the time in which they live. Understanding the intimate interaction between legal norms and economics is fundamental for the correct design of public policies and for promoting a legal system inspired by greater efficiency.
In this regard, Weber, among others, affirmed that each of our concrete (economic) decisions falls within an abstract legal principle, demonstrating that in every act of exchange there is not only an economic value but also a legal framework within which that value is incorporated.
The legal institution of copyright, in history, has always being influenced by the technology typical of its time. Indeed, the discussion on copyright arises only when the political, social, and cultural needs of the time make it necessary, and these needs also change with the changing technological conditions.
As is known, the first forms of legal protection of works produced by human ingenuity come into existence when a certain technological innovation and its potential implications determine the birth of an autonomous and specific economic value of the thing, bringing out the need for new legal protection.
The economic analysis of copyright before the advent of the third industrial revolution, shows us how the protection of this right is considered an essential tool to incentivize the creation and dissemination of intellectual works, promoting innovation and economic growth. At the same time, it emerges how fundamental it is to ensure a balance between the protection of works and the free circulation of information and ideas, in order to promote fair and universal access to culture. The evolution of new technologies and the advent of the Internet have marked a moment of profound transformation, which has determined a clear discontinuity with the past.
On the web, as some authors have rightly stated, the Aristotelian categories that we usually use to understand the physical world assume a relative nature, since time and space acquire new meanings and dimensions.
The fragmented regulation of this topic has been reviewed, including, very relevantly, international treaties. The problems deriving from online piracy and the measures adopted to limit the unauthorized distribution of digital content have also been explored. There are lots of possible solutions to the above challenges.
Two of the largest companies of our time seems to have managed to adapt copyright to the new needs of consumers: Netflix and Spotify. Netflix, the well-known audiovisual content streaming service, has revolutionized the way people access movies and TV series, using licensing agreements and contracts with film and television production companies, managing to obtain the rights to broadcast a wide range of content directly to subscribers. Spotify, which as is known is a music streaming platform, through agreements with record labels and artists, has created a vast catalog of music accessible to users through subscription or for free through the insertion of advertisements between listening to one track and another.
Throughout the argument, it has emerged that law plays a fundamental role in defining the boundaries of human actions. It is through its essence that we are able to enjoy a free and secure space, where our existence and activities can unfold without unjust restrictions. The concept of copyright, in particular, represents a fundamental pillar of modern society and democracy itself. This legal institution has a rich and intricate history, rooted in antiquity and developed over time, becoming a fundamental pillar of global culture and economy. It represents a fundamental legal tool for stimulating innovation and creativity, thereby contributing significantly to the promotion of cultural, economic, and social progress.
The protection of authors’ rights and the management of creative works have assumed an extremely important role with the advent of new technologies and the evolution of the Internet.
The dynamics of “creative destruction,” theorized by Schumpeter, has found clear manifestation in the context of intellectual property during the third industrial revolution (the digital one we are experiencing), generating profound changes in the lives of individuals and redefining the economic landscape in which we operate.
In the economic field, there is a sense of precariousness, an awareness of a continuous and increasingly rapid confrontation with changes that occur at an ever-accelerating pace. The advent of the web has brought significant challenges. The lack of a new system of regulation and common norms has created potential obstacles to the protection of people’s fundamental rights, which are protected differentially in various national legal contexts.
The advent of the Internet has radically transformed the production and use of music, literature, and visual arts, giving rise to new intellectual creations that exist thanks to the presence of the network and are easily accessible. In this context, it is crucial to protect and preserve copyright, but at the same time, it is important to avoid confining it to obsolete institutional paradigms. To find the best possible approach, we must take into account the empirical results derived from economic analysis of law.
We, as individuals and as a society, are responsible for the fate of our institutions. It is our task to adopt a conscious and informed approach to the protection and evolution of copyright, in order to balance the needs of creativity, innovation, and access to culture.
Immanuel Kant, in the fourth and fifth theses of the “Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose,” where he introduces the well-known oxymoron of unsocial sociability with an effective linguistic insight, uses a clever metaphor to illustrate the importance of the state of competition and competition among men for the progress of humanity. Kant explains how the trees in a forest, which seek to deprive each other of air and sunlight, force themselves to seek them higher and higher, growing straight and strong. It is precisely thanks to this competition that their vital energies take a positive direction.
To conclude, competition, in all its forms, is the driving force behind technological development and the cultural progress of society. The technological revolution has further fueled this competition, especially in the field of intellectual property. Therefore, it is important, especially in this context, to embrace the new opportunities that have emerged from these new challenges, in order to balance the protection of authors’ rights with access to knowledge and the promotion of collective progress.