Eleonora started in her role as Senior Lecturer of Economics back in September. She has been teaching a second-year undergraduate econometrics unit at Bristol, since joining us from the University of Exeter.
We caught up with Eleonora about her career so far, including her research covering political economy, development, cultural economics and gender economics…
Where did you study economics?
I did undergraduate and master’s degrees in Italy. I studied BSc Economics and Management at the University of Trento, but also spent a semester abroad at the University of Istanbul in Turkey.
I then completed an MSc in Economics at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies – Pisa. Once again, I took the opportunity to study in another country for part of the course – this time in Germany, at the University of Mannheim.
I later went back to Germany for PhD study, at LMU Munich.
What inspired your interest in economics?
What initially made me study economics was its use of rigorous techniques, models, and empirical tools to address real-world problems.
I was fascinated by the fact that an economics programme would give me the opportunity, on the one hand, to learn formal mathematical models and statistical tools and, on the other hand, the freedom to be creative and use them to understand issues that affect people's lives – like poverty, violence, inequality, and gender discrimination.
Can you tell us more about your economics career so far?
After finishing my master’s degree, I spent time in Cape Town, South Africa. I worked for a small think tank which provided consultancy to some African governments on how to design and sustain their social protection programmes. During that time, I was also teaching foundations in economics to a few South African members of parliament.
When I moved to Munich for my PhD, I was employed as a Junior Economist at one of Germany’s largest economic think tanks – the ifo Institute for Economic Research. I also spent 8 months in the US at Boston College as a visiting student, and at J-PAL as a research associate.
Prior to joining Bristol, I spent three years as a lecturer at the University of Exeter Business School.
How have you found the School of Economics at Bristol?
From my first interactions with the school, I was struck by its dynamic, high-quality research environment, the diversity and creativity of the work being produced, and the stimulating, productive conversations that took place.
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such an environment and am committed to doing so to the best of my ability.
Can you tell us about your research interests and background?
I am an applied microeconomist. I use real-world data to answer research questions in political economy, especially focusing on the interplay between culture, violence, and inter-group conflict. To achieve this, I have gathered some experience in assembling novel datasets that allow me to explore so-far overlooked questions.
For instance, my coauthor (Ana Tur-Prats) and I have developed a novel measure of gender norms at the ethnicity level for a global sample of groups. This has allowed us to study how male-dominant cultural norms affect the use of sexual violence in ethnic civil conflicts.
In my work, I also borrow from insights and theories from across the social sciences to formulate and test hypotheses. Reading interdisciplinary work has been tremendously helpful in adding new perspectives to my understanding of phenomena like gender-based violence, ethnic conflict, and the role of cultural norms.
What is the focus of your research at the moment?
Currently, I am working on understanding the determinants of cultural extinction.
Over the last two decades, the role of culture and the diversity of cultural values in a society have received increased attention from economists as fundamental drivers of institutions, innovation, and economic development. Yet, the forces driving the survival or extinction of human cultures remain largely unexplored.
What is your proudest career achievement to date?
I am very proud of my work on the link between culture and conflict. I have produced two publications on the topic:
- My single-authored paper on Cultural Distance and Ethnic Civil Conflict (the American Economic Review, Volume 115, no. 4, April 2025 – a top 5 economics journal).
- Cultural Distance and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, with Ana Tur-Prats (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 138, Issue 3, August 2023 – also a top 5 economics journal).
The first paper sheds light on why some groups rebel.
Paper 2 is the first in economics to study the determinants of conflict-related sexual violence, a pervasive yet (surprisingly) overlooked form of violence perpetrated during conflict.
Our results suggest that more efforts should be made to protect women and girls affected by conflicts fought by male-dominant actors. My hope is that this work, and the understanding it builds, may help target conflict prevention efforts in the future.
What piece of advice would you give to current or future economics students, to help them in their future careers?
My advice to current or future economics students would be to keep an open mindset, stay curious, and explore literature beyond your immediate field. Embrace interdisciplinary perspectives and never settle for the simplest explanation – always dig deeper to understand the complexities of the issues you're studying.