Close-ups

Let’s talk about you: what is your background, what do you teach, and what are your research interests?
I am a sociologist working on welfare systems. What interests me the most is understanding the relation between social change, policies and practices. Specifically, I study the social organisation of healthcare (for the elderly, children, etc.) from a comparative and historical perspective: I am interested in how healthcare is organised, delivered, recognised in informal, professional and market relations and the link with social inequalities. In recent years, I have also focused on the transformation of work and welfare as a result of the introduction of new technologies. I combine qualitative and quantitative research approaches and methods. At Ca' Foscari I teach sociological theories to social work, philosophy and history Bachelor students; welfare systems and research methodology to Masters students.

Tell us about your academic path.
I studied Political Science at the University of Milan. I completed a joint PhD at the University of Milano-Bicocca and Sciences-Po Paris, studying and working between Milan, Paris and Amsterdam. Starting in 2007, after a research period at Milano-Bicocca, I worked as Assistant Professor first at the University of Utrecht and then at the University of Amsterdam. In 2016 I returned to Italy as Associate Professor at Ca' Foscari, where I became Full Professor in 2020. 

Have you always known that this was going to be your path?
Actually, the path was neither marked nor expected. The decision to start a PhD came after several years of work and involvement in local administration, third sector organisations and trade unions. That was a very intense and important training period for me, during which I developed an interest in social research, but I also learned to do many things outside research, all of which are fundamental in my current job.

What do teaching and researching mean to you?
It is first and foremost a pleasure. And having a pleasant job is certainly a privilege. But it is also a process of growth, which requires effort (growing up is hard), great satisfaction and occasionally some disappointment. This growth process is definitely an individual one, but it is also a collective project that requires sharing goals, exchanging ideas, and working together with colleagues and students.

Can you offer any advice to researchers in the early stages of their career?
I would say three things. The first is that there are increasing opportunities to study, research and work in different contexts: I would not miss these opportunities for personal and professional growth. The second is that academic work does not require just the ability to research, write and teach (anymore): it requires organisational, interpersonal and practical skills that you learn not only inside but also outside the university. The third is that the growing importance of productivity and competition (publishing, attracting funding, having 'impact', etc.) can and must be tied to a project that makes sense for the individual and for the society we live in.