My research agenda currently focuses on technological change and Artificial Intelligence.

WORKING PAPERS

balancing progress and protection: Do Citizens Want Governments to Steer Technological Adoption?, With Alexander Kuo (revise & resubmit)

The rapid progression of the fourth industrial revolution has sparked debate about its economic impacts, and prompted calls for increased government ``steering" (through regulation or taxation) of technology adoption. This study proposes that preferences for such policies are shaped by two main considerations:  the need to protect certain workers from technological disruption increases support for government steering, but the association of technology with economic growth and consumer benefits reduces such support. To test theories of such preferences, we design novel survey questions about six steering policies, measure preferences in large, representative samples from five European countries, and experimentally vary the claims presented. We also measure many technological risks, including job substitution by artificial intelligence (AI). We find substantial support for government steering of technology adoption through regulation and taxation, but claims that such intervention harms consumers or growth substantively diminishes such support, while arguments about protection enhance support only modestly.
Draft available on request

What if you see it? Workers’ perceptions of and reactions to Generative AI, With Massimo Anelli, Italo Colantone and Piero Stanig (under review)

How do workers perceive Generative AI? More as an opportunity or as a threat for their occupational prospects? And how do these perceptions influence their policy and political preferences? We conducted a survey experiment on around 6,000 workers in 98 occupations directly exposed to Generative AI, in Germany, Italy, and the US. Treated respondents are shown a video of ChatGPT performing the most frequent core task in their occupation. On average, they become more optimistic about the technology’s impact. Yet, a substantial share of treated respondents become more threatened. This leads to polarization of policy preferences: threatened individuals increase their support for technology regulation and redistribution policies, while optimistic individuals move the other way. The threatened also express warmer attitudes toward “backlash” political parties.

Building Global Support for AI Governance: Evidence from Six Countries, with Alexander Kuo and Shir Raviv (under review)

The rapid advancement of AI presents unprecedented challenges requiring international coordination, yet efforts to establish global governance frameworks remain fragmented. An important yet understudied factor shaping governments’ willingness to negotiate, approve, and enforce international agreements is domestic support. We examine how key institutional features of AI governance  shape public support for international arrangements using new data from a large-scale survey experiment conducted in the US, China, India, Germany, the UK, and Japan. Our results indicate that citizens worldwide are willing to accept—and even prefer—inclusive, enforceable, and neutrally led regulations, suggesting that an ambitious global governance framework of AI could receive broad public support. The findings highlight governance mechanisms that generate global support and areas of cross-national disagreement that may require tailored approaches.

OTHER WORK IN PROGRESS

Defaulting to the State: Citizen Demand for Hard vs Soft AI Regulation
With Alexander Kuo and Shir Raviv
Draft available on request

Perceptions of AI as an opportunity or a threat: The role of resources and context
With Alexander Kuo, Erick Padilla and Florencia Olivares
Draft available on request

Digital Skills Training and Political Integration: A Field Experiment with Public Employment Services in Catalonia
With Florencia Olivares
PAP available on request, data analysis in progress

Support for Policies to Address the Consequences of AI Adoption in the Workplace: Experimental Evidence
With Massimo Anelli, Italo Colantone and Piero Stanig
PAP available on request, data analysis in progress

CURRENT FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS

Transforming European Work and Social Protection (TRANSEUROWORKS) as WP leader
Awarded by the European Commission, H2020 program
Ref. 101290378
November 2022 - October 2026

Citizen Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence (CATAI) as PI
Awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
Ref PID2021-123111OB-I00
January 2023 - December 2026

Impactos Políticos y Sociales de la Inteligencia Artificial (AIPSR) as PI
Awarded by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Ref. RED2024-153955-T
September 2025 - September 2027

The Future of Democracy (FoD) as expert
Awarded by the European Commission, Joint Research Center
Ref. CT-EX2015D263813-102
December 2025 - November 2026 

Intergenerational Fairness and the Welfare State (WELFAIR) as WP leader
Awarded by the European Commission, Horizon Europe program
Ref. 101290378 
September 2026 - August 2032