Stefano Scibilia — Curriculum vitae

Last updated October 2026

PhD Candidate in Political Science, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Policy, Politics, and Society · Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3062 PA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
scibilia@essb.eur.nl · stefanoscibilia.com · ORCID 0009-0006-4463-6459

Research profile

I am a political scientist working on European Union economic governance and the domestic politics of socio-economic reform in EU Member States.

Research interests: EU governance, comparative political economy, social policy, case study research

Academic appointments

2023–present

PhD Candidate in Political Science, Policy, Politics, and Society, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Doctoral research is focused on understanding how domestic politics within Member States affect the Europeanization of socio-economic policy. Conducted in-depth process tracing analyses of labour market and pension reforms in Italy and Spain, with a particular focus on the “domestic effect” of the European Semester, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and the Stability and Growth Pact in the 2011–2025 period.
Part of the research project Towards a resilient European Union? Post-pandemic economic governance amidst politicisation (PEGAP), funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).
Supervisors: prof. dr. Markus Haverland (main supervisor and PEGAP principal investigator), dr. Asya Zhelyazkova, dr. Pieter Tuytens.

Education

2021–2022: University of Amsterdam (NL). MSc in Political Science (Political Economy track).
2018–2020: Durham University (UK). MSc in Economics.
Including Erasmus+ research stay for the MSc dissertation at Stockholm University (June–September 2019).
2014–2018: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (IT). BSc in Economics, Organizations and Finance (Finance and Global Markets track).

Publications

Manuscripts under review

2026: Scibilia, S., and Haverland, M. From external to internal constraints? Nominal compliance and the Europeanization of socio-economic reforms under the Recovery and Resilience Facility in Spain. Revise and resubmit, Journal of Common Market Studies.
: Scibilia, S., Haverland, M., Tuytens, P., and Zhelyazkova, A. Domestic coalitions and (non)compliance in the European Semester: does the Recovery and Resilience Facility make a difference for Italian pension and labour market reforms? Under review.

Conference papers

2026: Scibilia, S. From the Recovery and Resilience Plans to the Medium-term Fiscal-structural Plans: the case of pension policy. 13th Biennial Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on the European Union, Catania, 1–3 July.
: Scibilia, S., and Haverland, M. From external to internal constraints? Social pacts and socio-economic reforms under the Recovery and Resilience Facility in Spain. 13th Biennial Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on the European Union, Catania, 1–3 July.
: Scibilia, S., and Haverland, M. Does RRF-induced centralization lead to structural reforms? 22nd Netherlands Institute of Governance Annual Work Conference, Ghent, 5–6 February.
: Scibilia, S. Domestic coalitions and (non)compliance in the European Semester: does the Recovery and Resilience Facility make a difference in Italy? X Convegno Società Italiana di Sociologia Economica (SISEC), Florence, 28–31 January.
2025: Scibilia, S., Haverland, M., Tuytens, P., and Zhelyazkova, A. Domestic coalitions and compliance in the European Semester: does the Recovery and Resilience Facility make a difference in Italy? 19th Biennial Conference of the European Union Studies Association, Philadelphia, 8–10 May.
: Scibilia, S., Haverland, M., Tuytens, P., and Zhelyazkova, A. Does the Recovery and Resilience Facility tilt the balance? 21st Netherlands Institute of Governance Annual Work Conference, Ghent, 6–7 February.
2024: Scibilia, S., Haverland, M., Tuytens, P., and Zhelyazkova, A. Tilting the balance: the Recovery and Resilience Facility and labor market reforms inside the Italian political laboratory. 12th Biennial Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on the European Union, Lisbon, 19–21 June.
2023: Scibilia, S. Continuity and change in EU governance: does the RRF alter the patterns of CSR compliance in the EU South? 20th Netherlands Institute of Governance Annual Work Conference, Delft, 2–3 November.

Teaching

2025: Thesis supervision seminar Politics and Policy of the European Union, BSc Management of International Social Challenges (MISOC), Erasmus University Rotterdam. 8 students; one thesis won the 2025 MISOC Impact Thesis Award.
2024: Thesis supervision seminar European Union Governance in the Age of the Polycrisis, BSc MISOC, Erasmus University Rotterdam. 8 students.
2023: Thesis supervision seminar Reforming the South of the EU: a Path Hard to Follow, BSc MISOC, Erasmus University Rotterdam. 5 students.

Methods training

Jul 2025: MethodsNET Summer School, Central European University, Vienna: Comparative Research Designs; Comparative Historical Analysis.
Feb 2025: ECPR Methods School (online), KU Leuven: Process Tracing Methods; Interviews as Method of Data Collection in Times of Polarisation.
2023–2025: Netherlands Institute of Governance PhD courses: Formulating and Answering Research Questions; Responsibility and Integrity in Research / The Politics of Research; Classic Themes and Contemporary Challenges for Public Governance; Current Themes in EU Governance; Preparing Your Future Academic Career.

Academic service and societal outreach

Nov 2026: Co-organiser, Lessons from and beyond the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), a one-day event for EU and national policymakers on socio-economic reforms in the national recovery and fiscal-structural plans, with the European Social Observatory (OSE).
2025–2026: Peer reviewer for Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, and International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics.
: Member of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), the Netherlands Institute of Governance (NIG), and the Società Italiana di Sociologia Economica (SISEC).

Languages

Italian (native) · English (fluent) · Spanish (basic) · French (basic)

Other professional experience

2020–2021: Risk Management Intern, Bosch Rexroth Italia, Cernusco sul Naviglio (Milan), December 2020 – August 2021: business continuity management and export-control compliance.