Francesco Sarracino (Head of Unit)

Francesco SARRACINO joined STATEC’s Research Division in September 2012. His work aims at identifying policies to make economic growth compatible with people's well-being and, ultimately, to pursue sustainable development. He also contributes to methodological survey research. He is member of the World Wellbeing Panel, of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS), and an external expert of Eurofounds. His works have been published in journals such as World Development, Ecological Economics, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Journal of Happiness Studies, and Social Indicators Research. He holds a Ph.D. in development economics from the University of Florence (IT). Before joining STATEC, Francesco was a post-doctoral researcher at CEPS/Instead and a DAAD fellow at GESIS (Germany).

Professional experience

  • Senior Researcher - STATEC Research (current).
  • External expert on “Monitoring Convergence in Europe" - Eurofounds (current).
  • External expert on “Survey management and development" - Eurofounds (current).
  • Associated Researcher - Laboratory for Comparative Social Research, Higher School of Economics, Russia.
  • Member of the expert group on “Quality of Life Indicators" - EUROSTAT.
  • Marie Curie post-doctoral research fellow - Ceps/Instead, Luxembourg.
  • DAAD Fellow - GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Cologne, Germany.
  • Visiting researcher - Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), Essex, Colchester, Great Britain.
  • Visiting researcher - CEPS/INSTEAD research centre, Differdange, Luxembourg.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Development Economics, University of Firenze (Italy).
  • Master degree in Environmental Economics, University of Siena (Italy).

Honors

  • Sept. 2020: 2019 Best Annual Applied Research in Quality of Life Paper Award for the paper: “Consume more, work longer, and be unhappy: possible social roots of economic crisis?”.
  • Mar. 2020 - to date Member of the World Wellbeing Panel, London School of Economics and Barcelona Graduate School of Economics.
  • Nov. 2016 - to date Member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Quality of Life Studies.
  • Jan. 2012: Firenze University Press and City of Firenze Research Prize “Città di Firenze”, 2011. The prize consists in a peer-reviewed publication of the Ph.D. thesis.

Funding

  • FNR COVID-19 Grant funding the research project “Preferences Expressed Through Twitter”, Principal Investigator - Fonds National de la Recherche, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
  • Marie Curie and Fonds National de la Recherche post-doctoral research fellowship - CEPS/INSTEAD, Differdange, Luxembourg.
  • DAAD fellowship - GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Cologne, Germany.
  • European Commission fellowship as visiting researcher - Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), Essex, Colchester, Great Britain.
  • European Commission fellowship as visiting researcher - CEPS/INSTEAD research centre, Differdange, Luxembourg.

Teaching experience

  • Oct. 2016 to date: “Introduction to Data Analysis using STATA”, University of Luxembourg (15 hours).
  • Apr. – May 2015: “Happiness economics”, Higher School of Economics, Luxembourg (60 hours).
  • Supervision of master students at the University of Luxembourg and Higher School of Economics.

Relevant publications

  • Sarracino, F. and Slater, G. (2024), The Trust Paradox, ISQOLS Working Paper, No. 4, ISQOLS.
  • Bartolini, S., Piekalkiewicz, M., Sarracino, F., Slater, G. (2023), The moderation effect of social capital in the relationship between own income, social comparisons and subjective well-being: Evidence from four international datasets,    PlosONE, Forthcoming.
  • Fumarco, L., Gaddis, S.M., Sarracino, F. and Snoddy, I. (2023), sendemails: an automated email package with multiple applications, The STATA Journal, Forthcoming.
  • Sarracino, F., Greyling, T., O'Connor, K.J., Peroni, C., and Rossouw, S. (2023), A year of pandemic: levels, changes and validity of well-being data from Twitter. Evidence from ten countries, PLoS ONE, 18(2): e0275028.
  • Sarracino F., Riillo C.A.F (2022) Facing the challenge of globalisation: the role of confidence in institutions, Science and Peace, 13(1), pp. 85-136. 
  • Sarracino, F. and O'Connor, K. J. (2022), A measure of well-being efficiency based on the World Happiness Report, International Productivity Monitor, (43), 10-40.
  • Peroni, C., Pettinger, M., and F. Sarracino (2022), Productivity Gains from Workers' well-being in Europe, International Productivity Monitor, (43), 41-61.
  • DiMaria, C.H., Peroni, C. and Sarracino, F. (2022), From economic productivity to productive well-being: the role of life satisfaction and adjusted net savings, International Productivity Monitor, (43), 62-80.
  • Sarracino, F. and O'Connor, K. J. (2022), Neo-humanism and Covid-19: opportunities for a socially and environmentally sustainable world, Applied Research in Quality of Life, On-line first.
  • Jovanovic V., Sarracino F., Lazic M., and Gavrilov-Jerkovicz V. (2021), Well-being and the pandemic: Trust in people matters more than trust in institutions, Psychological Reports, On-line first.
  • Sarracino, F., O’Connor, K.J., and Ono, H. (2021), Are economic growth and well-being compatible: Welfare reform and life satisfaction in Japan. Oxford Economic Papers, online first.
  • Pugno, M. and Sarracino, F. (2021). Structural changes in economic growth and well-being. The case of Italy's parabola, Social Indicators Research, online first.
  • Sarracino, F. and Piekalkiewicz, M. “The role of income and social capital for Europeans' well-being during the 2008 economic crisis”, Journal of Happiness Studies, 2020, DOI: 10.1007/s10902-020-00285-x.
  • Fumarco, L., Baert, S. and Sarracino, F. “Younger, dissatisfied, and unhealthy - relative age in adolescence”, Economics and Human Biology, 2020, Vol. 37,100858.
  • DiMaria, C.H., Peroni, C., and Sarracino, F. “Happiness matters: a test of the role of well-being in productivity”, Journal of Happiness Studies, 2020, vol. 21, n. 1, pp. 139-160.
  • Sabatini, F., and Sarracino, F. “Online social networks and trust”, Social Indicators Research, 2019, vol. 142, pp. 229-260.
  • Sarracino, F., and Fumarco, L. “Assessing the non-financial outcomes of social enterprises in Luxembourg”, Journal of Business Ethics, 2018, DOI: 10.1007/s10551-018-4086-9.
  • Bartolini, S. and Sarracino, F. (2018), Do people care about future generations? Derived preferences from happiness data, Ecological Economics, vol. 143, 253-275
  • Sarracino, F. and Mikucka, M. “Consume More, Work Longer, and Be Unhappy: Possible Social Roots of Economic Crisis?", Applied Research Quality Life, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-017-9581-0
  • Mikucka, M., Sarracino, F., and Joshua K. Dubrow “When does economic growth improve life satisfaction? Multilevel analysis of the roles of social trust and income inequality in 46 countries, 1981-2012", World Development, 2017, vol. 93, pp.447-459;
  • Sabatini, F. and Sarracino, F. “Online networks and subjective well-being", Kyklos, 2017, vol. 70, n. 3, pp. 456-480;
  • Sarracino, F., Riillo, C.F.A., and Mikucka, M. “Comparability of web and telephone surveys for the measurement of subjective well-being”, Survey Research Methods, 2017, vol. 11, n. 2;
  • Sarracino, F. and Mikucka, M. “Bias and efficiency loss in regression estimates due to duplicated observations: a Monte Carlo simulation", Survey Research Methods, 2017, vol. 11, n. 1, pp. 17-44;
  • Sarracino, F. and Mikucka, M. "Social capital in Europe from 1990 to 2012: trends and convergence". Social Indicators Research, 2016, DOI: 10.1007/s11205-016-1255-z;
  • Bartolini, S. and Sarracino, F. “Twent-five years of materialism: do the US and Europe diverge?". Social Indicators Research, 2016, DOI: 10.1007/s11205-016-1381-7;
  • Peroni, C., Riillo, C. and Sarracino, F. "Entrepreneurship and immigration: evidence from GEM Luxembourg". Small Business Economics, 2016, 10.1007/s11187-016-9708-y;
  • Bartolini, S., Mikucka, M. and Sarracino, F. "Money, trust and happiness in Transition countries: evidence from time-series". Social Indicators Research, 2015, DOI: 10.1007/s11205-015-1130-3;
  • Bartolini, S. and Sarracino, F. "The dark side of Chinese growth: declining social capital and well-being in times of economic boom". World Development, 2015, vol. 74, pp. 333 - 351;
  • Bartolini, S. and F. Sarracino. "Happy for how long? How social capital and GDP relate to happiness over time". Ecological Economics, 2014, vol. 108, pp. 242 - 256;
  • Bartolini, S., Bonatti, L. and Sarracino, F. "The great recession and the bulimia of U.S. consumers: deep causes and possible ways out". Cambridge Journal of Economics, 2014, vol. 38, n. 5, pp. 1015 - 1042;
  • Sarracino, F., “Richer in money, poorer in relationships and unhappy? Time-series comparisons of social capital and well-being in Luxembourg”. Social Indicators Research, 2013, DOI: 10.1007/s11205-012-0223-5;
  • Sarracino, F., “Determinants of subjective well-being in high and low income countries: do happiness equations differ across countries?”. Journal of Socio-Economics, 2013, Vol. 42, pp. 51 - 66, DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2012.11.006;
  • Bartolini S., Bilancini E. and Sarracino F., “Predicting the trend of well-being in Germany: how much do comparisons, adaptation and sociability matters”. Social Indicators Research, 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s11205-012-0142-5;
  • Sarracino, F. “Money, sociability and happiness: are developed countries deemed to social erosion and unhappiness? Timeseries analysis of social capital and subjective well-being in western Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan”. Social IndicatorsResearch, 2011, DOI: 10.1007/s11205-011-9898-2;
  • Sarracino, F., “Social Capital and Subjective Well-Being trends: Evidence from 11 western European countries”. Journal of Socio-Economics, vol. 39, n. 4, August 2010;

Book chapters

  • Sarracino, F.(2023), Post-growth happiness in Leo Bormans, The New World Book of Happiness, Lanoo.
  • Sarracino, F., and O’Connor, K.J. (2021), Economic growth and well-being beyond the Easterlin paradox, in A Modern Guide to the Economics of Happiness. Edited by Luigino Bruni, Alessandra Smerilli, and Dalila De Rosa. Edward Elgar.
  • Sarracino, F., “When does economic growth improve well-being?”, in M. Rojas (ed.), The Economics of Happiness, Springer, 2019, pp. 355-370.
  • Sarracino, F., Quality of life in Luxembourg: key results from the PIBien-être project, 2018 Sozialalmanach Schwéierpunkt: D’sozial Kohesioun um Spill?, 227-250, 2018.
  • Bartolini S., Sarracino F. and Bilancini E. “Social capital predicts happiness: worldwide evidence from time series”, in Stefano Bartolini, L. Bruni and P. Porta (eds.) Policies for Happiness, Oxford University Press, forthcoming;
  • Sarracino F. and Bartolini S. “Are stressful jobs the price to pay for economic prosperity?”, in F. Sarracino, ed., “The happiness compass: theories, actions and perspectives for well-being”, Nova Science Publishers, forthcoming;

Encyclopaedic items

Short articles and reports

In the media

Invited speaker

  • “COVID-19: Challenges and opportunities for Neo-humanism", 25th of August 2020, keynote speech at the International Society for Quality of Life Studies 2020 Virtual Conference;
  • “Growth and Degrowth: rethinking the role of our economy in creating social welfare", 15th of January 2020, invited speech at the Lunch Seminars of CARITAS Luxembourg;
  • “Promote, protect and reduce: recipes for durable well-being", 20th of March 2019, invited speech at the Lunch Seminars of CARITAS Luxembourg;
  • “Greater well-being for people and the economy", 4th of July 2018, speaker at the Annual Conference of the Italian Statistical Office, ISTAT, Rome, Italy;
  • “Promote, protect and reduce: suggestions for durable well-being", 6th of April 2018, speaker at the USC Happiness Conference in honour of Richard Easterlin, University of Southern California Dornsife, Los Angeles;
  • “Greater well-being for people and the economy", 9th of November 2017, speaker at the Workshop on European Social Survey, LISER, Belval/Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg;
  • “Estimation error due to duplicated observations: a Monte Carlo simulation”, 20th of April 2016, keynote speech at 6th LCSR International Workshop: "Trust, social capital and values in a comparative perspective", Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.
  • "Shut down Facebook and be happy!", 13th of February 2015, invited speaker at EUROSTAT General Assembly 2015, EUROSTAT, Luxembourg.
  • "For a socially sustainable economic system", 17th of January 2015, invited speaker at the conference: "Tuscany: A Global Laboratory for Quality of Life", Regione Toscana, Firenze, Italy.
  • "Making economic growth and well-being compatible: the role of social capital and income inequality", 9-10th of October 2014, invited speaker at the workshop: "Public goods through private eyes", University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
  • "2008 Economic crisis and well-being in Europe", 29th of September 2014, invited speaker at the International Conference: "Personality traits and subjective well-being in the life course", Collegio Carlo Alberto, Turin, Italy.
  • "For a socially sustainable economic system", 30th of March 2014, keynote speech at the 4th International Annual Research Conference: "Social and cultural changes in cross-national perspective: values and modernization", Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.
  • "All that glitters ain't gold! A beyond GDP strategy for well-being", 15th of November 2013, keynote speech at the 3rd International Annual Research Conference: "Cultural and economic changes under cross-national perspective", Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.

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