PhD researcher Michele Zampa, affiliated to the Centre for Finance and Development, was awarded a three-year Doc.CH grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation for his PhD project in International History and Politics.
Michele’s dissertation, conducted under the supervision of Professor Rui Esteves, focuses on one of the most famous cases of government intervention to address regional inequality, the ‘problem of the Mezzogiorno’ in Italy.
His research provide a comprehensive assessment of the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno, a development bank with the remit of developing the South of the country through the funding of infrastructural projects and industrial firms.
Work undertaken by the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno in Gioia Tauro (Province of Reggio Calabria, Southern Italy)
Michele uses a mixed methods approach by pairing a quantitative analysis of the micro data contained in the Cassa’s archives and in in-depth analysis of historical sources relevant to the broader institutional context in which the Cassa operated.
Michele's project on the one hand contributes to the current debate on government development strategies by providing a systematic empirical assessment of a development bank’s effectiveness over a prolonged period of time, and on the other hand, provides a comprehensive historical account of the Cassa.