About Tommaso Sacconi

The IEE-ULB welcomes Tommaso Sacconi. He is a PhD candidate in Transnational Governance, a joint programme between the Scuola Normale Superiore and the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Florence, Italy. His doctoral research is supervised by Professors David Natali and Manuela Moschella. During his visiting period at the IEE, he will be working under the guidance of Professor Amandine Crespy.

Tommaso holds a master’s degree in political science and public policy from the University of Florence and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pisa, and an MSc in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford. Alongside his academic path, he has gained experience in both Italian and European institutions.

His academic interests

Tommaso arrived at the IEE-ULB on 3 March 2025 and will carry out his research in Brussels over a six-month visiting period. His research interests lie at the intersection of European governance, policy design, and the Europeanisation of domestic reforms. He is particularly interested in how EU-level instruments and institutions can influence national policy choices, especially in times of crisis.

His PhD project investigates the impact of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) programme on the design of administrative reforms in Italy, focusing on the area of public administration recruitment and career management. His research explores not only how the European Commission has shaped reform processes in Italy, but also how national actors have leveraged Europe to advance their own agendas, combining top-down and bottom-up approaches. The project draws on policy design literature and Europeanisation theory to analyse changes in instruments, actors, and ideas that have characterised the Italian approach to administrative capacity-building in the context of the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

His research at IEE-ULB

At the IEE-ULB, Tommaso is working with Professor Amandine Crespy, whose work on EU social and economic governance provides an important point of reference for his own analysis. The IEE’s interdisciplinary environment, the presence of leading scholars in European studies, and the opportunity to engage in high-level academic exchange were key motivations for his decision to conduct part of his research at the Institute.

During his stay in Brussels, Tommaso aims to deepen the empirical dimension of his thesis through interviews with officials at the European Commission and other European institutions. He also plans to take part in the IEE’s academic life, sharing insights from his research and contributing to ongoing discussions on European integration and policy reform.

How to become a visiting researcher at the IEE-ULB

The IEE-ULB regularly welcomes visiting researchers whose work focuses on its main lines of research.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications which must contain: an up-to-date CV, a research project highlighting the link to one or several of the IEE’s four research themes, the proposed research period, and the name of the IEE-affiliated professor who has agreed to act as the researcher’s supervisor.

Applications should be send to Prof. François Foret, Dominique Dembour, and Dr. Marta Matrakova.

Decisions on visiting research applications are taken by the Council of the IEE, which gathers five times per year. Next dates are:

  • 19 May 2025 and 25 August 2025.

Contact

For any questions about a visiting research stay at the IEE, please contact the IEE’s Research Manager, Dr. Marta Matrakova.