ALESSANDRA CASARICO

Leave and Let Leave: Workplace Peer Effects in Fathers' Take-up of Parental Leave, with E. Di Porto, J. Kopinska and S. Lattanzio

Abstract

Relying on a reform that increased parental leave generosity, we estimate workplace peer effects in the use of leave, with a focus on fathers. Coworker fathers are more likely to take parental leave when exposed to a higher share of peer fathers, who are exogenously affected by the reform. This effect is stronger in larger establishments, those with higher levels of social capital and higher use of parental leave before the reform. We also document that own-gender peer effects are larger than cross-gender influences, and show the absence of career costs for fathers exposed to the reform, which provides an explanation for our findings. Peer effects extend to coworker fathers' partners, who experience an increase in earnings and labor supply. Peer effects are observed also for mothers, but the response of their partners is less pronounced.

Rebalancing power asymmetries within firms: evidence from illegal resignations, con I. Ferrari e C. Pavese

Abstract

We document the extent of employer abuse of power and characterize the employers most likely to engage in abusive relationships with their employees. We leverage an Italian reform that changed the submission process for voluntary resignations from a paper-based to an online system. This reform aimed to curb the illegal practice of requiring workers to sign undated resignation letters, which employers could use at their discretion to avoid the costs associated with dismissals - a clear manifestation of power abuse. Using difference-in-difference estimation to identify causal effects, we document that resignations declined more in firms with higher proportions of vulnerable workers, operating in weaker local labour markets, and with lower productivity. We also show that the reform effectively increased workers’ safety by reducing injuries, suggesting the presence of some improved outcomes at worker level.

The gendered effects of negative shocks in science: evidence from retractions, with P. Bello and L. Carrer

Abstract

We assess gender disparities in the consequences of research retractions. Research retractions, while rare, carry significant implications for the credibility and career progression of involved scientists. Investigating whether retractions affect men and women differently can offer insights into potential sources of bias and inequality in scientific recognition and advancement. To this end, we examine whether gender influences the consequences of the retraction event. We distinguish between “external punishment”, and measure it with changes in citations, and “self-imposed punishment”, captured by changes in the research agenda of retracted authors. To assess changes in research agendas, we use NLP on paper abstracts and measure the evolution in their similarity.

Shall I Trust You? Diversity, Trust, and Cheating Behavior in School Children, with S. Ghisolfi, G. Marcolongo, and C. Serra

Abstract

This paper aims to explore how diversity influences trust and honesty in children aged 11 to 13, addressing whether factors such as gender and ethnicity affect trust-related decisions and ethical behavior. We investigate these dynamics through a non-simultaneous trust game, analyzing how individuals decide to extend trust, while taking into account a rich set of individual, family, school, and classroom characteristics. Additionally, we examine honesty and cheating behavior by tracking changes in the number of stickers—used as rewards in the trust game—inside envelopes at the beginning and end of the questionnaire. By comparing these counts with the number of stickers children were instructed to take, we derive a measure of honesty. Trust and honesty are closely related and understanding whether children who give more trust are more likely to behave honestly can provide insights into the mechanisms that sustain cooperative behavior in social interactions. This age range is an interesting developmental stage where moral reasoning and social behaviors are shaped. Measuring honesty may help to assess how children internalize ethical norms and whether these norms are influenced by exposure to diversity.

Trust in a Diverse World: Exploring the Role of Gender, Disability, and Ethnicity, with N. Balbo and C. Serra

Abstract

The project investigates the impact of diversity on trust in social interactions by examining how individuals exhibit trust toward others based on gender, disability, and ethnicity. Through an online survey experiment utilizing a non-simultaneous trust game, we measure trust levels among participants assigned to interact with diverse partners whose characteristics are exogenously varied. The study is unique in its focus on disability as a dimension of diversity, and in its combination of different dimensions of diversity, filling a gap in the literature. The experimental design involves a representative sample of the Italian working-age population, with participants making trust-related decisions based on real photos of individuals representing their partners. A complementary dictator game will further explore altruistic behaviors. The findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of the cumulative or substitution effects of multiple diversity dimensions on trust, which is a fundamental element of economic and social cooperation, influencing economic growth, health outcomes, crime rates, and overall well-being.