European Research Council

Banking crises, recurring throughout economic history, reveal structural vulnerabilities linked to deregulation, bank runs and supervision. The INFINITY project aims to develop new theoretical and empirical tools to understand these dynamics, turning knowledge into more effective policies and building a more stable and resilient financial system

Mathematical structures for understanding the evolution of complex systems: this is what the OPTiMiSE project studies and does research about

From mass migrations in the 19th-century United States to the prefects of unified Italy, the STATE-DEV project explores the forces shaping solid institutions. Understanding the state’s past is crucial to addressing today's challenges: economic crises, migration flows and global markets

From the equations that describe turbulence to the mechanisms of finance, from labor market policies to the institutions of the state: the six new research projects by Bocconi scholars funded in 2025 by the European Research Council explore the principles that govern economic, social, and mathematical complexity. With these additions, Bocconi now hosts 36 active ERC projects and a total of 72 awarded to date – a testament to the University’s ability to generate knowledge that interprets the present and helps shape the future.

In-work poverty remains a challenge in Europe, particularly in Southern and Eastern countries, and has worsened with the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Policy responses range from minimum wage regulations to redistributive tools such as taxes and transfers, with differing national approaches. The LIFT-UP project aims to rethink these instruments to make them more effective, sustainable and socially acceptable

Do companies’ ethical choices really have a positive impact on society, or are they just for show? From the study of historical cases to today’s practices, the BALANCE project explores the boundaries between genuine social responsibility and greenwashing