federico-scabbia

Federico Scabbia

I use diverse data sources—satellite imagery, large-scale text, images, and administrative data—to study social and economic dynamics. My research leverages novel databases built with cutting-edge data processing techniques, combined with empirical analysis, to understand complex processes across countries and over time.

I'm co-organizer with Andrew Funck of the Natural Language in Economics Workshop

References: Marta Reynal-Querol, Luigi Pascali, Maria Petrova, Marco Tabellini.

Working papers

The New Scramble for Africa: The Case of Illegal Fishing
Slides
Leaders and Ideologies

Abstract
This study builds a daily, global media-mention network to measure how local news exposure transmits foreign leaders’ ideas across borders. Using close elections (2005–2024) as quasi-random shocks, two IV approaches isolate the causal effect of the election winner coverage on other countries. Greater populist salience abroad triggers democratic backsliding (lower V-Dem scores, more protest repression, survey shifts toward authoritarianism), reduces climate-policy activity, and leads policymakers to downplay democratic and environmental topics in speeches. The framework will be enriched with parliamentary transcripts and harmonized surveys to further unpack cross-border ideas diffusion.
Media Bias of Conflict
with Ricardo Baeza-Yates, Marta Reynal-Querol, Elliot Motte

Abstract
Analyzing 10 million news articles with LLMs, we map the anatomy of global conflict coverage, examining how international ties drive bias and shape downstream economic outcomes.

Teaching

Barcelona School of Economics

Data Science Thesis Supervision
Master’s program · 2024–2025 I advise students on research design, data construction, empirical methods, and thesis writing, with projects focused on applied machine learning and data analysis.

Finance Thesis Supervision
Master’s program · 2024–2025
I supervise master’s theses in finance, with a focus on forecasting methods, data construction, and data management for financial applications.

IES Abroad Barcelona

Master in International Marketing
Guest Lecturer · 2024
Delivered two lectures:

Celebrity CEOs: economic and strategic implications of CEO public visibility, media exposure, and firm outcomes
Marketing Strategy: firm positioning, consumer targeting, and strategic communication

Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Business Organisation and Management I
Undergraduate course · Teaching Assistant · 2024
Led tutorial sessions, assisted with coursework and exams, and provided academic support on core topics in organization, management, and firm behavior.