PhD candidate at the Institute of Development Studies

My main research is on the social consequences of organized crime groups. Specifically, I study how the presence of organized crime groups in Italy has impacted the social capital of the local communities between 2000 and 2018. In this work I develop a theoretical framework and hypotheses which I causally test through a mixed quantitative and qualitative method.

 

I am also currently working on four research projects on inequality, trust and governance in Colombia, on early childhood development in Rwanda, on migration and food security in Zimbabwe, and on the effect of the Gaza Blockade on the political attitudes of the Palestinian people. 

I have studied in Italy (2012-2015) and UK (2016) and I have worked in a number of countries; in Ireland as a business developer for Stayplanet (2014), in Bangladesh as an intern in the microcredit branch of the Grameen Bank (2015), in India as a project assistant at the Global Development Network (2016), in UK as a research and teaching assistant (2017), in Rwanda as a research and fieldwork officer (2018) and in Colombia as a research officer (2019). Because of Covid-19, I am now completing my PhD in UK while living in Italy (2021-2022).

Pierfrancesco Rolla contact details: