This week Malvina Ongaro (PhD student, University of Turin) started her research stay at ESPhil and EIPE. She will be here between January and April 2020. We would like to welcome Malvina in the ESPhil community and would like to introduce her.
- What is your research about?
At the moment, my research is focusing on non-empirical uncertainties. More specifically, I am trying to capture the concept of relevance uncertainty, i.e. the predicament of the agent that does not know whether she has considered all and only the causal and ethical factors relevant for her decision, and the implications of the complexity of social environments for the use of randomised controlled trials in economics.
- What will you do at ESPhil?
At ESPhil, I hope to get new perspectives on my work and to make some significant advance on these lines of research. To do so, I will engage with the ongoing conversation of the department, participating in activities such as research meetings and seminars alongside other PhD students.
- Why do you want to do a research stay at ESPhil?
ESPhil is home of a vibrant community of thinkers working at the intersection between philosophy and economics. EIPE is unique in its focus and in its socially-relevant perspective. Spending some time here will give me the opportunity to enrich my theoretical background, and to find new and challenging research questions.
- What are your first impressions of the Erasmus University and the city Rotterdam?
Both the University and the city have so far exceeded my expectations. Rotterdam is a dynamic city that managed to turn the devastation of the war into a drive for innovation: its unique combination of Dutch flair and architectural experimentation makes it truly stand out. EUR is a good match to the city character, with a vocation for social impact and a hearty, welcoming community that already feels like family.
Short biography
Malvina holds a MSc in Linguistics and one in Philosophy of Science and is now a PhD student in Turin (Italy). Her research interests include topics like normative decision theory under different types of uncertainty, the legitimacy of collective decision procedures, and ethical issues in economics methodology.