Cohort: POLS 39

Topic of the thesis: Disassemble the social expenditure-globalization nexus. How economic, political, social, and overall globalization affects social expenditure across five welfare states regimes.

Abstract: The nexus between globalization and social spending is a topic that has been under scrutiny for decades. The aim of this research is to enter the debate demonstrating how, not only is the phenomenon of globalisation an influential factor when it comes to changes in social spending, but also multi-directional and heterogeneous. To demonstrate this, the research implements two specifications for the relationship. The first is to disaggregate spending into 'old' and 'new'. The second is to use five different welfare regimes as a mediating factor between spending and globalization. To accomplish its task of 'disassembling the nexus', the research makes use of quantitative and qualitative methods. Through the exploration of the phenomenon over 30 OECD countries for a period covering 30 years (1990-2019), an Error Correction Model is implemented to understand the long-term effects of globalization. Dummy variables representing welfare regimes are also introduced to define a qualitative specification of the relation. In the second part of the research, a qualitative analysis will allow the outcomes obtained in the quantitative section to be examined in greater depth.

Research interests: Comparative Politics; Comparative Welfare States; Political Economy; European Social Governance; European Integration; Transnationalism.

Graduated from: Università degli Studi di Milano (BA and MA)

Degrees obtained: BA in Political Science (Curriculum: Democrazia, Politiche e Giustizia); MA in Global Politics and Society (Department of Political and Social Sciences)

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