The change towards sustainable mobility poses numerous research challenges. The analysis of the actors involved – private and public operators (local authorities, Ministries, agencies), consumers, citizens – should focus on behavioral aspects and technology adoption propensity. The organization of supply and of the territories in which mobility takes place (urban, inner areas, peripheries, etc.) is relevant, together with governance, planning and financial issues. The research project aims to investigate how virtuous forms of mobility - active mobility, shared mobility, public transport services (traditional, on-demand, etc) - and innovative organizational forms and means of transport - private/collective unmanned vehicles and urban air mobility vehicles - can compensate for the environmental externalities associated with passenger and freight urban transport and favouring greater equity and inclusion focusing on two main aspects: (i) Analyse the factors that can support the transition to less impactful forms of urban transport and mobility; (ii) Define and assess elements to design public policies and incentives that enhance the transition. The candidate will be encouraged to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach and use a wide range of empirical techniques (discrete choice models, spatial econometrics, big data and machine learning techniques, agent-based, experimental methods).

Candidates should preferably have an academic background in economics and data analysis, analytical capabilities, the ability to handle and analyze large datasets and perform quantitative research in econometrics and social sciences. Fluency in English is recommended.

The research team is led by Professor Angela Stefania Bergantino, full professor of Applied Economics and Transport Economics at the University of Bari. Professor Bergantino has held and currently holds senior positions in the transport sector at the national level. She was president of the Italian Society of Economics of Transport and Logistics (2016-2021) as well as a member of the “Technical Mission Structure” of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and consultant, over the years, for other Ministries and national and international research bodies. She sits as an independent in the Board of ENAV SpA (sustainability committee) and in Exprivia SpA. In the past, the team has already focused its attention on the role of sustainable territorial infrastructures and smart mobility as a driving force for sustainable accessibility and the regional economy in general. The project proposal has a strong innovative content with respect to both the multidisciplinary composition of the working group and the ability to integrate heterogeneous aspects of the theme of sustainability declined on an urban scale. The research team is also composed by prof. Andrea Morone, Stefano Galavotti, Gabriele Tedeschi, Mario Intini, Ada Spiru (specialized in sharing mobility, transport economics, economics of public choices, experimental economics, environmental economics, econometric modelling, regulation) and several post-doc and PhD students in economics. The group cooperates also with Giuseppe Pirlo (informatics) and Alessio Pollice (statistics) on smart cities and specific analytical competences. The PhD candidate will use the laboratories, classrooms and research infrastructures made available by the Department. These are i) experimental economics laboratory (ESSE); ii) the Economics laboratory applied to transport, territory and businesses (LEATTI) – both equipped with computers, printers and simulation and statistical software specific to research activities.