I am a Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Bergamo, Italy. I am also CEPR Research Fellow, CESifo Research Affiliate, and CAGE Research Associate. My research interests are in the fields of Economic History, Growth and Development, Public Economics and Political Economy. In particular, I study the relationship between education and fertility, the role of human capital in innovation and economic growth, the political and socioeconomic factors that affect the provision of public education. I am a member of the editorial board of the Rivista di Storia Economica/Italian Review of Economic History. I had visiting positions at the University of Munich, Brown University, University of Mannheim, and University of Bayreuth.