Sveva Manfredi

Sveva Manfredi

PhD student at UCLA

Research

Publications

  • Cuevas-Ruiz, P., Gimenez-Nadal, J. I., Manfredi, S., & Sevilla, A. (2025). A new model of parental time investments: A paradigm shift for addressing gender inequality in the labor market. Oxford Review of Economic Policy. PDF

  • Leite-Mariante, G., Manfredi, S., & Landais, C. (2025). Explaining variation in child penalties: The role of gender norms and policies. LSE Public Policy Review, 3(4). PDF

Working papers

  • Female Strategic Substantive Representation: Evidence from two Italian Radical Right Leaders [PDF]

    Abstract
    This paper investigates the impact of the engendering of Radical Right Parties (RRP) in Europe on female substantive representation, intended as increased discussion of women’s issues by female politicians. The paper contributes to the literature on political representation and political communication, using a large dataset and building a novel Italian dictionary for topic classification in Python to fill gaps in prior research. Using Facebook captions from leaders of two Italian radical right parties, the study challenges the assumption that more female politicians lead to more discussion of women’s issues. Surprisingly, no significant difference is found in the likelihood of Meloni discussing women’s issues compared to Salvini. However, during Salvini’s time in office, Meloni’s likelihood of posting about women’s issues increases, suggesting strategic behavior in response to political competition. This research introduces the concept of Strategic Substantive Representation, highlighting how female RRP politicians may strategically engage with these topics.

Work in progress

  • The Price of Settling Down (with Andrea Pop-Catalisan)

    Abstract
    Rising singlehood and a broader “relationship recession” are reshaping rich societies, with more adults leaving partnerships or avoiding them altogether. A common assumption is that, compared with singlehood, cohabiting relationships are unambiguously beneficial for well-being—economically, socially and emotionally. One underexplored possibility is that cohabitation carries invisible psychological and social costs, which vary with local norms and may gradually erode well-being and make separation more attractive. In this paper we study these potential “settlement costs” of cohabitation using repeated cross-sections from the European Social Survey and a pseudo–event-study design. We approximate within-person dynamics by comparing individuals at different durations since moving in with a partner, while controlling for observables and time-invariant regional factors. We trace how mental well-being, self-rated health, and time use evolve across the cohabitation spell and how these patterns differ across European normative regimes. We find little evidence of large, universal well-being gains from cohabitation. Instead, we document modest but systematic increases in negative affect, especially depressive symptoms, tiredness and feelings of strain, in more traditional or family-normative European regions, alongside region-specific shifts in socializing and leisure. Self-rated health is largely unaffected. These results suggest that cohabitation can entail small but persistent emotional and social costs in certain normative contexts, helping to explain why some individuals leave relationships even in the absence of major shocks, and nuancing the idea that cohabitation is a straightforwardly beneficial alternative to singlehood.

  • The Cost of Identity: Theory and Experimental Evidence from the Energy Sector (with Gaia Dossi and Marta Morando)

    Abstract
    How does identity affect occupational choice? We study this question in the energy labor market, as oil and gas firms play a fundamental role in the green transition. We design and administer a survey experiment to job seekers entering the labor market for the first time. We find that individuals assign positive amenity value to working for a company whose core business aligns with their environmental identity and disamenity value to those that conflict with it. Respondents with green identities are willing to forgo 20% of their salary to work in a renewable energy firm rather than a generic energy company, and require a 15% wage premium to accept a job in an oil and gas firm. This pattern also holds when individuals apply to work in teams focusing on clean energy within these firms. To isolate social-image effects, we randomize whether job choices are private or publicly disclosed. Social image concerns significantly influence occupational choices, especially for jobs perceived as socially stigmatized. We develop a model of occupational choice in which individuals have private preferences over jobs and derive utility from aligning with social norms. In structural simulations, we study how the social environment shapes labor market inequality and the pace of the green transition.