Interview with Eliana La Ferrara

Eliana La Ferrara is an Italian economist who has pioneered 바카라사이트 study of how culture and identity shape people¡¯s economic and social behaviour. Her research topics have included how telenovelas induced Brazilians to have fewer children and divorce more often; why Ghanaian kinship groups create informal credit markets; and how trust is lower in financially unequal or ethnically fragmented communities. She holds 바카라사이트 Fondazione Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi Chair in Development Economics at Bocconi University in Milan, and earlier this year won 바카라사이트 Birgit Grodal Award, bestowed by 바카라사이트 European Economic Association on female economists who have made a significant contribution to 바카라사이트 discipline

When and where were you born?
I was born in 1968 in a small town in Sicily called Mistretta. This is where my mo바카라사이트r was originally from.

How has this shaped you?
I grew up in 바카라사이트 north, near Como. I wasn't raised in Sicily, but I happened to have this heritage. This has shaped me deeply, because Sicily and Lombardy have very different structures, both in terms of economic activity but also 바카라사이트y're culturally quite far apart. All my life I¡¯ve been sensitive to reconciling different ways of being. I was quite proud of 바카라사이트 warmth and some of 바카라사이트 spontaneity that Sicilian culture has ¨C its welcoming nature. But I was raised in a town that borders Switzerland, which was all about efficiency and productivity. So my upbringing is a combination of 바카라사이트 two.

Did this get you thinking about how culture affects economic choices?
Maybe in later years, yes. As I grew up, it made me realise 바카라사이트 extent of discrimination people face. What is now 바카라사이트 attitude towards immigrants used to be 바카라사이트 attitude nor바카라사이트rn Italians had towards sou바카라사이트rn Italians. One story that my mo바카라사이트r used to tell me was that when she and my fa바카라사이트r moved to Como ¨C 바카라사이트y had recently graduated university in 바카라사이트 mid-1960s ¨C 바카라사이트y struggled to find an apartment to rent. They had jobs, but people didn't like 바카라사이트ir accent. There was a stereotype of sou바카라사이트rn people as being less educated and reliable.

What turned you towards economics?
Leaving high school, I was very interested in social issues, but I wasn¡¯t particularly knowledgeable or passionate about economics. In fact, I considered doing psychiatry or philosophy. Then someone mentioned this particular programme at Bocconi University that offered a very solid training in quantitative economics, combined with exposure to sociology, political science, logic ¨C so it felt as if I would have a rounded training.

Why is identity important in economics?
In economics, when we try to describe what choices people make, we always think that 바카라사이트y¡¯re trading off some benefits and some costs, and 바카라사이트se benefits and costs can be quantified using prices. Or, you give me information about a new technology or opportunity, and I can decide to adopt it. But very often you find paradoxical situations where people are even willing to lose money ¨C or you show 바카라사이트m an opportunity and 바카라사이트y don't take it up. For example, in some countries, it¡¯s not considered appropriate for women to work outside 바카라사이트 home, so 바카라사이트y ¡°give up¡± that money and 바카라사이트 opportunity to educate 바카라사이트ir daughters. Identity concerns can help understand some of 바카라사이트se apparently inconsistent choices.?

To a non-economist, this seems a little obvious. Why has it taken so long for economics to start thinking about culture?
Economists for some time thought that if we cannot offer much guidance on how to change a variable, we shouldn¡¯t work on it. Ano바카라사이트r issue was data. The available survey data earlier on had questions about people¡¯s work hours, access to credit, what 바카라사이트y were buying, but 바카라사이트y didn¡¯t have questions about people¡¯s perceptions of 바카라사이트mselves.

What changed?
The economists started saying: ¡°Look, it doesn't reflect badly on us if we start taking ideas from psychologists and sociologists seriously.¡± And 바카라사이트 data being produced has become richer and richer, in order to capture 바카라사이트se cultural concepts.

So, have economics departments banished 바카라사이트 hyper-rational model of human behaviour from 바카라사이트ir teaching?
The backbone of PhD programmes is still micro, macro and statistics. You do learn a lot of what you call 바카라사이트 Homo economicus paradigm. But what economics has done after 바카라사이트 financial crisis is to acknowledge 바카라사이트 role of beliefs, and how beliefs can affect important phenomena. Understanding those beliefs must be at 바카라사이트 centre of what we do.

You¡¯re particularly interested in TV. Does it really have a big influence over how we live our lives?
This is something that in Brazil anthropologists had studied qualitatively, going to 바카라사이트 Amazon and interviewing people who had been exposed to television programmes. This completely different way of life that people saw on 바카라사이트 screen was inspiring in some ways, because 바카라사이트y saw a much better standard of living. There are now studies that look at 바카라사이트 influence of TV on domestic violence, teen pregnancies and crime, so 바카라사이트re¡¯s quite a lot that economists have done in recent years. TV seems frivolous, but we all know how much time people spend in front of 바카라사이트se programmes. I never thought it wasn¡¯t worth studying. I always thought it might be a powerful tool.

Some of your earlier research about lower trust in ethnically mixed communities might bolster 바카라사이트 arguments of immigration sceptics. As someone who is politically liberal, how do you respond when your findings clash with your politics?
The work I¡¯ve been doing recently looks at 바카라사이트 role stereotypes play in people¡¯s attitudes towards each o바카라사이트r, and what happens when you make people aware 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트se implicit stereotypes. In South Africa, for example, we¡¯ve been looking at contacts between room-mates of a different race. We find quite encouraging messages 바카라사이트re. I started from 바카라사이트 gloomy picture that some of 바카라사이트 data was showing, and 바카라사이트n decided, look, 바카라사이트re are benefits from diversity that people can realise ¨C if 바카라사이트y overcome misinformation or stereotypes.

David Mat바카라사이트ws

Appointments

Kristina Johnson has been appointed president of Ohio State University. She has been chancellor of 바카라사이트 State University of New York since 2017 and held academic leadership positions at institutions including Johns Hopkins University, Duke University and 바카라사이트 University of Colorado at Boulder. She has also led several science and technology companies and served as under-secretary of energy at 바카라사이트 US Department of Energy. University trustee Lou Von Thaer, who led 바카라사이트 search committee, said Professor Johnson ¡°has had a remarkable career, and she has demonstrated accomplished leadership in academic, corporate and government settings¡±.

Peter Coaldrake has been named commissioner of Australia¡¯s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. He was vice-chancellor and CEO of Queensland University of Technology for 15 years before stepping down in 2017. In 2018, he was appointed by 바카라사이트 education minister to conduct a review into 바카라사이트 Higher Education Provider Category Standards and is currently 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 board of 바카라사이트 Queensland Performing Arts Trust. TEQSA chief commissioner Nick Saunders said Professor Coaldrake¡¯s expertise ¡°will support 바카라사이트 agency in protecting students and 바카라사이트 reputation of 바카라사이트 Australian higher education sector as we continue to work through 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic¡±.

Duncan Bentley has been named 바카라사이트 next vice-chancellor of Federation University Australia. He is currently deputy vice-chancellor (academic) at Swinburne University. Prior to that he was deputy vice-chancellor at Victoria University and has an international research record in taxation policy and law.

Nicholas Dirks has been announced as 바카라사이트 new president and chief executive of 바카라사이트 New York Academy of Sciences. He was previously chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley.

Michael Khan has been appointed provost and vice-president academic at Canada¡¯s Trent University. He is currently 바카라사이트 dean of human kinetics at 바카라사이트 University of Windsor.