Erich Battistin, UMD Agricultural and Resource Economics
| When |
Nov 24, 2025
from 11:15 AM to 12:15 PM |
|---|---|
| Where | 2208 LeFrak / Online |
| Contact Name | Jennifer Doiron |
| Contact Phone | 301-405-6403 |
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About the Presentation
We evaluate a labor market integration program that fast-tracked asylum seekers into the Italian labor market through personalized job mentoring, placement assistance, and on-the-job training. Leveraging randomized assignment across reception centers and individual-level administrative records, we find effects on employment rates of 10 percentage points, or 30% over the baseline, over a 4-year period. The program also improved job quality through increased access to fixed-term and open-ended contracts. Subsidized internships were a critical pathway to transitioning participants into standard employment. Survey data indicate that these effects reflect a net increase in employment, rather than a shift from informal to formal jobs. We also document broader benefits on socioeconomic integration, including language proficiency and social networks with native Italians.
About the Speaker
Erich Battistin is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Maryland, Faculty Associate at the Maryland Population Research Center, Senior Research Fellow at FBK-IRVAPP, Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labour (IZA), and Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). He previously worked at Queen Mary University of London, the University of Padua, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. His research interests cover a number of fields of applied economics, ranging from applied work in labor economics to more methodological aspects in policy evaluation and measurement.
Seminar Format
Location IN PERSON: 2208 LeFrak Hall. We are requesting advanced registration so that we can track capacity. Please use this link to RSVP for in-person attendance.
Location ONLINE VIA ZOOM: Zoom Registration Link. Upon registration, you will receive an automatically generated email with the direct link for the seminar.
If accommodations are needed, please send request to meeting organizer (mprc-support@umd.edu) at least 72 hours prior to the event, if possible, to allow time to discuss and implement alternatives.
MPRC public events for Fall 2025 will be a mix of in person and online via Zoom. For in person events, all event attendees must follow current protocols.