Lectio Inauguralis - Religion, Education, and Development in a historical perspective

The Avvocato Giovanni Agnelli Associate Professorship in Economics is an endowed professorship through which the Giovanni Agnelli Foundation aims to contribute to the advancement of research in applied economics. The Professorship is awarded every five years to a Bocconi professor who is highly regarded in his or her subject area.

As of 2023, Prof. Squicciarini officially became the holder of the Avvocato Agnelli Associate Professorship in Economics, which was previously held by Prof. Chiara Fumagalli and Prof. Francesco Decaroils, now both full professors, respectively.
On May 23, 2023, Professor Squicciarini presented her research program during a Lectio Inauguralis that was also attended by Agnelli Foundation Chairman John Elkann.

The fundamental topic of the Lectio was the relationship between Religion, Education and Economic and Social Development. In particular, the professor showed how the negative relationship between religiosity and economic development is actually more complex than it seems.

Moreover, Squicciarini emphasized how the abundance of available data and an innovative research design will allow the Agnelli Associate Professor in Economics to clarify the mechanisms that determine the reaction, religious or positivist, to catastrophic events such as earthquakes, pandemics or wars.