I am Assistant Professor (Ricercatore) at the Department of Economics and Law of the Sapienza University of Rome. I currently teach Public Economics at the Faculty of Economics in Latina and I collaborate with the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse). I previously held posts at the Departments of Economics of the Universities of Trento, Siena, Padua, and Cassino. I am founding editor of the Social Capital Gateway, website providing resources for social sciences, and chief editor of the Journal of Entrepreneurial and Organizational Diversity (JEOD). My main fields of research are Health economics, Labour economics, and Social economics. More in general, I am interested in investigating the motivation of human behaviour from a multidisciplinary perspective. My recent research topics include - but are not limited to! - computer-mediated communication, cooperative and social enterprises, happiness, labour precariousness, mental and physical health, social interactions, social networks, and social norms. I am currently a top 5% author in the RePEc worldwide ranking of economists in terms of 4 of the 33 RePEc criteria.
Besides my research activity, I have a passion for photography and I collaborate with Getty Images as a freelance photographer. Here is my photostream on Flickr.com. I also write a blog in the Italian magazine MicroMega.

Current Position

• Assistant Professor (Ricercatore), Department of Economics and Law, Sapienza University of Rome.

• Aggregate Professor of Public Economics, Faculty of Economics, Sapienza University of Rome.

External affiliations

• Senior Researcher, European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse), Trento

• Research Affiliate, Health, Econometrics and Data Group, University of York.
 

Editorial activities

• Author and editor of  Social Capital Gateway, web site providing resources for the study of social capital acknowledged by the Journal of Economic Education as an exemplary material for teaching and learning economics.

• Chief Editor of the Journal of Entrepreneurial and Organizational Diversity (JEOD). First issue scheduled for Fall 2011.

• Referee for the following peer-reviewed journals: American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Applied Economics, British Journal of Sociology, Cambridge Journal of Regions Economy and Society, Comparative Political Studies, Economics Bulletin, European Economic Review, European Journal of Political Economy, European Sociological Review, International Review of Economics, International Sociology, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Journal of Cultural Economics, Journal of Development Studies, Journal of Economic Psychology, Journal of Economic Surveys, Journal of Happiness Studies, Journal of Socio-Economics, QA - Rivista dell'Associazione Rossi Doria, Organization Science, Organization Studies, Regional Studies, Review of Economics of the Household, Review of Social Economy, Rivista di Politica Economica, Small Business Economics, Social Networks, Social Science and Medicine, Sociological Research Online, Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie (Journal of Economic & Social Geography).
On average, I perform a review per week.

• Editor of the NEP (New Economics Papers) Report on Social Norms and Social Capital within the RePEc Project. NEP Reports are sponsored by theState University of New York.
 

Education

• June 2006, PhD in Economics, University of Rome La Sapienza. Thesis title: An Inquiry into the empirics of social capital and economic development

• March 2001, Laurea (University Degree) in Economics, University of Rome La Sapienza, Faculty of Economics. Dissertation: "The OECD's Economic Policy: Assessing the Jobs Strategy in Western Europe".
Distinction: 110/110 cum laude.
 

Articles in international refereed journals

• Antoci, A., Sabatini, F., Sodini, M. (2012). The Solaria Syndrome: Social Capital in a Hypertechnological Growing Economy. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 81 (3), 802-814.

• Sabatini, F. (2012). Who Trusts Berlusconi? An Econometric Analysis of the Role of Television in the Political Arena. Kyklos, 65: 111–131.

• Modena, F., Sabatini, F. (2012). I Would if I Could: Precarious Employment and Childbearing Intentions in Italy. Review of Economics of the Household 10 (1), 77-97.

• Antoci, F., Sabatini, F., Sodini, M. (2012). See You on Facebook! A framework for analyzing the role of computer-mediated interaction in the evolution of social capital. Journal of Socio-Economics, forthcoming.

• Antoci, A., Sabatini, F., Sodini, M. (2012). Bowling alone but tweeting together: the evolution of human interaction in the social networking Era. Quality & Quantity, accepted.

• Fiorillo, D., Sabatini, F. (2011). Quality and quantity: the role of social interactions in individual health. Social Science and Medicine, 73, 1644-1652.

• Fiorillo, D., Sabatini, F. (2011). An Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship Between Social Interactions, Income and Health in Italy. Economics Bulletin, 31 (2), 1336-1352.

• Sabatini, F. (2009). Social Capital as Social Networks: a New Framework for Measurement and an empirical analysis of its determinants and consequences. Journal of Socio-Economics, 38 (3), 429-442.

• Sabatini, F. (2009). The relationship between trust and networks. An exploratory empirical analysis. Economics Bulletin 29 (2), 674-685.

• Sabatini, F. (2008). Social Capital and the Quality of Economic Development. Kyklos, 61 (3), 466-499.

• Sabatini, F. (2008). Does Social Capital Improve Labour Productivity in Small and Medium Enterprises?. International Journal of Management and Decision Making 9, (5), 454-480.

Refereed notes and book reviews

• Sabatini, F. (2005). Resources for the Study of Social Capital. Journal of Economic Education, 36 (2), 198.

• Sabatini, F. (2003). Review Essay of Ben Fine, "Social Capital versus Social Theory: Political Economy and Social Science at the Turn of the Millenium". Economic Notes, 32 (3), 403-408.
 

Working Papers

• Sabatini, F. (2011). The relationship between happiness and health: evidence from Italy. Revise and resubmit, Journal of Happiness Studies.

• Antoci, F., Sabatini, F., Sodini, M. (2011). Economic growth, technological progress and social capital: the inverted U hypothesis. Revise and resubmit, Metroeconomica.

• Fiorillo, D., Sabatini, F. (2011). Structural social capital and health in Italy. University of York Health, Econometrics and Data Group working paper 11/23. Submitted.

• Sabatini, F. (2011). Can a click buy a little happiness? The impact of business-to-consumer e-commerce on subjective well-being. Economics and Econometrics Research Institute (EERI) Working Paper 2011_12. Submitted.

• Modena, F., Rondinelli, C., Sabatini, F. (2011). Economic insecurity and fertility intentions: The Case of Italy. Paper presented at the 2011 IARIW-OECD Conference on Economic Security, Paris, November 22-23, 2011. Submitted.

• Sabatini, F. (2010). Does Social Capital Create Trust? Evidence from a Community of Entrepreneurs. University of Siena, Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia Politica, n. 552. 2nd round review at Sociological Research Online.

Please check my profile on Ideas for a complete list of my working papers.
 

Articles in Italian refereed journals

• Sabatini, F. (2009). Il capitale sociale nelle regioni italiane: un’analisi comparata. Rivista di Politica Economica 99 (2), 167-220.

• Sabatini, F. (2007). Un atlante del capitale sociale italiano. QA, Rivista dell'Associazione Rossi Doria 1/2007, 41-73.

• Sabatini, F. (2004). Il concetto di capitale sociale nelle scienze sociali. Una rassegna della letteratura economica, sociologica e politologica. Studi e Note di Economia 2/2004, 73-105.
 

Books

• Garofalo, G., Sabatini, F. (eds) (2008). Homo Oeconomicus? Dinamiche imprenditoriali in laboratorio. Bologna, Il Mulino.

• Cecchi, C., Grando, S., Sabatini, F. (2008). Campagne in sviluppo. Capitale sociale e comunità rurali in Europa. Torino, Rosenberg & Sellier.

• Cecchi, C., Sabatini, F. (2007). Il capitale sociale per la pianificazione e gestione dei servizi pubblici locali. Roma, Officina Edizioni.
 

Book Chapters

• Sabatini, F. (2011). Il capitale sociale in Provincia di Trento. Comparazione con le regioni italiane mediante analisi in componenti principali. In Borzaga, C. (Ed). Relazioni di qualità: il capitale sociale in Provincia di Trento. Trento: Edizioni 31.

• Sabatini, F. (2009). The Labour Market. In Svendsen, G.T. and G.L.H. Svendsen (eds). Handbook of Social Capital. The Troika of Sociology, Political Science and Economics. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA.

• Cecchi, C., Molinas, L., Sabatini, F. (2008). Is Social Capital a Policy Tool Against Poverty and Inequality? A Discussion of Development Strategies in Rural India. In Basile, E. and I. Mukhopadhyay (eds). Institutional Perspectives on Rural India. London, New York, Delhi, Anthem Press.

• Sabatini, F. (2008). Capitale sociale, imprese sociali, spesa pubblica. In Pelligra, V. (ed). Imprese sociali. Scelte individuali e interessi comuni. Milano, Paravia Bruno Mondadori.

• Sabatini, F. (2008). Capitale sociale, fiducia e crescita economica. In Garofalo, G, F. Sabatini (eds). Homo Oeconomicus? Dinamiche imprenditoriali in laboratorio. Bologna, Il Mulino.

• Sabatini, F. (2008). Misurare il capitale sociale. In Garofalo, G, F. Sabatini (eds). Homo Oeconomicus? Dinamiche imprenditoriali in laboratorio. Bologna, Il Mulino.

• Sabatini, F. (2008). Guida pratica alla misurazione del capitale sociale. In Garofalo, G, F. Sabatini (eds). Homo Oeconomicus? Dinamiche imprenditoriali in laboratorio. Bologna, Il Mulino.

• Sabatini, F. (2008). Capitale sociale e fiducia: un'analisi econometrica. In Garofalo, G, F. Sabatini (eds). Homo Oeconomicus? Dinamiche imprenditoriali in laboratorio. Bologna, Il Mulino.

• Sabatini, F. (2007). The Empirics of Social Capital and Economic Development: a Critical Perspective. In Osborne, M., Sankey, K. e Wilson, B. (eds). Social Capital, Lifelong Learning Regions and the Management of Place: an international perspective. London and New York, Routledge.
 

Other publications

Please check my blog in MicroMega for editorials on economics and politics.

• Sabatini, F. (2011). Se la TV non sposta un voto, perché invaderla? Un'analisi econometrica del ruolo della televisione nella costruzione del consenso. Micromega.

• Borzaga, C., Ferri, G., Sabatini, F. (2011). Editorial. Journal of Entrepreneurial and Organizational Diversity 1 (1), Article 1.

• Sabatini, F. (2011). Capitale sociale. Entry in the Garzanti Encyclopedia of Economics. Milano, Garzanti.

• Sabatini, F. (2007). Capitale sociale, imprese sociali, spesa pubblica e sviluppo in Italia. Impresa sociale 2 (76), 192-234.

• Sabatini, F. (2005). Uganda: l'allievo modello della Banca Mondiale? Le nuove contraddizioni della cooperazione allo sviluppo. Disuguaglianze, Trimestrale per l'analisi dei processi di sviluppo e sottosviluppo  5 (5), 122-134.

• Sabatini, F. (2004). Che cosa è il capitale sociale. Disuguaglianze, Trimestrale per l'analisi dei processi di sviluppo e sottosviluppo  3 (4), 41-55.
 

Previous positions

• November 2010 - February 2011, Senior Researcher, European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises (Euricse) - University of Trento.

• November 2006 - October 2010, Research Fellow, University of Siena, Department of Economics.

• December 2005 - August 2009, Research Associate at the SPES Development Studies Research Centre of the University of Rome La Sapienza.

• July 2006 - July 2007, Holder of a Research Grant funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization for the research project The Role of FAO and IFAD in Building Social Capital in Rural Areas, hosted by the University of Padua, Department of Economics Marco Fanno.

• October 2005 - November 2006, Research Fellow at the University of Cassino, Department of Economics.
 

Teaching

• 2011/2012: Public Economics. Sapienza University of Rome, Faculty of Economics.

• 2011/2012: Political Economy (assistantship). Sapienza University of Rome, Faculty of Economics.

• 2009/2010: Mathematical Economics. University of Siena, Faculty of Political Science.

• 2008/2010: Development Economics. University of Siena, Faculty of Political Science.

• 2008/2009: European Economic Policy. University of Siena, Faculty of Political Science.

• 2007/2008: Social Capital and Economic Development. Sapienza University of Rome, Ma Programme in Rural Development.

• 2006/2010: Economic Policy (assistantship). University of Siena, Faculty of Political Science.

• 2006/2010: Political Economy (assistantship). University of Siena, Faculty of Economics.

• 2006/2010: Business Economics (assistantship). Siena University for Foreigners, Faculty of Economics.

• 2006/2008: Economics of European Integration. Università Telematica Guglielmo Marconi, Faculty of Economics.

• 2005/2006: Social Capital and Economic Development. University of Cassino, PhD Programme in Local Development Economics.

• 2003/2004: Advanced Economic Policy (assistantship). Sapienza University of Rome, Faculty of Economics.

• 2003/2004: Economic Policy (assistantship). LUISS Guido Carli University, Faculty of Economics.
 

Other professional experience

• January 2008 - August 2009, Consultant of the Department of Economics of the University of Trento within a research project on the measurement of social capital in the Province of Trento.

• October 2007 - December 2007, consultant of the Associazione Studi e Ricerche per il Mezzogiorno within the Research Project "Capitale sociale e sviluppo economico nel Mezzogiorno italiano" (Social capital and economic development in the Italian Mezzogiorno).

• September 2007 - December 2007, Consultant at the International Project Office of the Università Telematica Guglielmo Marconi for the development of research projects to be submitted to the European Commission, with particular regard for the 7th European Framework Programme (7FP). Responsible for the development and management of the Collaborative project SOCIAL NET, ‘The role of social capital and public policy in determining EU development trajectories’, submitted to the 7FP.

• January 2006 - January 2007, Consultant of the University of Tuscia, Faculty of Economics, within the research project on "Social capital and local development: the case of Tuscia".

• July 2006 - November 2006, Consultant of the Organisation for the Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Task: preparing a paper to be used at the seminar on Social Enterprise and Social Capital organised by the OECD LEED Centre for Local Development and the World Bank, Trento, 15-18 November 2006.

• August 2006 - October 2006, Consultant of Pol.i.s. Campania (Agency of the Campania Regional Government) for the organization of a Conference on Social capital and crime, held in Ottaviano (Naples).

• January 2006 - June 2006, Consultant of the University of Padua, Department of Economics “Marco Fanno”, within the research project on "Civil Economy and Microcredit".

• January 2006 - June 2006, Consultant of the RESTRIM Project (Restructuring in Marginal Rural Areas: the role of social capital in rural development), a European Commission Framework Five funded project that examines the role of civil society in promoting economic competitiveness and quality of life for rural residents.

• June 2004 - May 2005 Consultant of the Research Group of the University of Rome La Sapienza, Faculty of Economics, on "A Plan of Services for Managing City", co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR).
 

Presentations at conferences (selection)

• 2012, June 21-23: member of the Organizing Committee of the Association for Social Economics 2012 World Congress. Glasgow, UK.

• 2011, November 22-23: presentation of the paper Economic Insecurity and Fertility: The Case of Italy at the IARIW-OECD Conference on Economic Insecurity. Paris, France.

• 2011, October 26-27: keynote speaker at the Conference "Knowledge-Based Development: Enterprises, Cities and Countries". Vale dos Vinhedos - Bento Gonçalves, Brazil. Download the presentation.

• 2010, July 7-8: invited speaker at the conference "The Economic Effects of Trust", organized by the Fundaciòn Confianza and the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo. Santander, Spain.

• 2010, March 12: invited speaker at the workshop "Poverty, inequality and social protection in Africa", organized by the European Commission. Brussels, Belgium.

• 2009, December 2-5: member of the scientific committee of the Conference "From GDP to Well-Being: Economics on the Road to Sustainability", organized by the University of Ancona. Ancona, Italy.

• 2009, December 2-5: presentation of the paper "The Solaria Syndrome: Social Capital in a Growing Hypertechnological Economy" at the Conference "From GDP to Well-Being: Economics on the Road to Sustainability", organized by the University of Ancona. Ancona, Italy.

• 2009, September 24-26: invited speaker at the Conference "Urban Policies and Social Capital", organized by Dynamic Growth Capital and the Social Capital Foundation, Lindköping and Gothenburg, Sweden.

• 2009, September 3-4: invited speaker at the Conference "Civil society, social capital and economic development", organized by the Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) and the Jönköping International Business School. Stockholm, Sweden.

• 2009, June 25-29: presentation of the paper "Will growth and technology destroy social interaction? The inverted U-shape hypothesis" at the Conference "The evolution and formation of social networks". Paris, France.

• 2009, May, invited speaker at the Workshop "Capitale sociale e responsabilità sociale d’impresa", organized by EconomEtica and the University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy.

• 2007, November 8-9: invited speaker at the Conference: "Social capital and job creation in rural Europe", organized by Eurofound. Lisbon, Portugal.

• 2007, June 1, invited speaker at the conference "The role of nonprofit organizations and social enterprises in the formation of social capital" hosted by the Second Festival of Economics "Human capital, social capital". Trento, Italy.

• 2007, March 4: invited speaker at the Conference "Social Networks, Transactional Economy, and Knowledge-Based Economy in Regional Development" organized by the State University of Moscow and the MGIMO University of Moscow. Moscow, Russia.

• 2007, March 3: chair of the Roundtable "Energy Policy, Regional Development and Transcontinental Interactions of Europe" within the International Forum "Regional Development Policies as Vehicle of Reshaping Global Political and Economic Order" organized by the State University of Moscow and the MGIMO University of Moscow. Moscow, Russia.

• 2006, November 15-18: invited speaker at the Conference "Reviewing OECD experience in the social enterprise sector" organised by the OECD LEED Centre for Local Development and the World Bank. Trento, Italy.

• 2006, October 18-19: organizer and chair of the Conference "Social Capital and Crime", hosted by Pol.i.s. Campania and the Campania regional government. Ottaviano (Naples), Italy.

• 2006, June 29-30: invited speaker at the Conference Social Capital, Sustainability and Socio-economic Cohesion within the EU MLG structure in development policy, hosted by the London School of Economics. London, UK.

Between 2006 and 2011 I held research seminars at the Universities of Bologna, Bologna-Forlì, Cassino, Florence, LUISS Guido Carli, Milan Bicocca, Modena and Reggio Emilia, Naples "Federico II", Naples "Parthenope", Padova, Roma Tre, Rome "La Sapienza", Salerno, Siena, Venice, Verona, Trento.

 

Social Capital Website

Fabio Sabatini is the author and the editor of Social Capital Gateway, web site providing resources for the study of social capital and social interactions which has been acknowledged by the Journal of Economic Education as an exemplary material for teaching and learning economics. Social Capital Gateway is linked as a useful resource for social sciences by hundreds of research institutions all over the world, among which the World Bank, Harvard University, Princeton University, and the London School of Economics.
 

Works in progress

Comments are most welcome and collaboration proposals will be taken into consideration. Please email me for furhter details and the long abstracts and/or the draft papers of my ongoing projects.

• Arts and humanities as engines of empathy.

• Beauty, life satisfaction, and trust.

• Economic insecurity and childbearing decisions. With Concetta Rondinelli and Francesca Modena.

• Evaluation of academic research and scientific pluralism: the case of Italy

• Internet and corruption, a cross-country investigation.

• Online networks and the creation of social capital, an evolutionary approach. With Angelo Antoci and Mauro Sodini.

• Private vs. social enterprises in the creation of social capital. With Francesca Modena.

• Religion and trust.

• Social capital and mental health.

• Social capital and public policies. The crowding-out hypothesis. With Angelo Antoci and Mauro Sodini.

• Social interactions, drinking and smoking. With Damiano Fiorillo.

• The determinants of entrepreneurship. With Piero Pasotti.

• The determinants of obesity. With Roberta De Santis.

• The determinants of trust in Italy.

• The socio-economic determinants of cancer.

• Will bibliometrics kill pluralism? The case of economic research.

• Work insecurity and life satisfaction. With Francesca Modena.