Introduction

Francesco Saraceno is Deputy Department Director at OFCE, the research centre in economics at Sciences Po in Paris, and Professor of Practice at LEAP-Luiss, Rome. He holds PhDs in Economics from Columbia University and the Sapienza University of Rome. His research focuses on the relationship between inequality, macroeconomic performance, and European macroeconomic policies. From 2000 to 2002 he was a member of the Council of Economic Advisors for the Italian Prime Minister’s Office. He teaches international and European macroeconomics at Sciences Po, where he manages the Economics concentration of the Master’s in European Affairs, and in Rome (Luiss). He is Academic Director of the Sciences Po-Northwestern European Affairs Program. He advises the International Labour Organization (ILO) on macroeconomic policies for employment and participates in IMF training programmes on fiscal policy.