Francesco Olmastroni, MA PhD

Assistant Professor
​
Centre for the Study of Political Change (CIRCaP)
Laboratory for Political and Social Analysis (LAPS) 
Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences (DISPOC)
University of Siena

Address
Via Roma, 56 – 53100 SIENA (Italy)
Tel. +39 0577 233727 
E-mail: olmastroni3@unisi.it

I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Centre for the Study of Political Change and field manager of the Laboratory for Political and Social Analysis (LAPS), the Survey Research Center of the University of Siena. I teach Quantitative Methods in the PhD programme "Political Science, European Politics and International Relations" and the courses of Cultural Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy in the MA programme "Public and Cultural Diplomacy" at the University of Siena.

​My main research interests are in public opinion, particularly in connection to international events, political communication, international relations and deliberative democracy.


PUBLICATIONS

Books

• 2014: Framing War: Public Opinion and Decision-Making in Comparative Perspective, New York and Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge [Paperback edition 2016]. 

Articles and Book chapters

• 2018: "Members apart: a mass-elite comparison of mutual perceptions and support for the European Union in Germany and Italy" (with Alessandro Pellegata), Contemporary Italian Politics, 10 (1): 56-75.
• 2017: "The alleged consensus: Italian elites and publics on foreign policy", Italian Political Science Review / Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica, 47 (2): 149-182.
• 2017: "Foreign posture in comparative perspective: a quantitative and qualitative appraisal of Italian foreign and defence policy during the Renzi Government" (with Andrea Dessì), Contemporary Italian Politics, 9 (2): 201-218.
• 2015: "Public opinion and European Foreign Policy" (with Pierangelo Isernia), in Knud Erik Jørgensen, Åsne Kalland Aarstad, Katie Verlin Laatikainen, Edith Drieskens and Ben Tonra (eds.), SAGE Handbook of European Foreign Policy, London: SAGE.
• 2014: "Patterns of isolationism: a quantitative assessment of Italy’s defence and foreign policy from government alternation to ‘grand coalitions’", Contemporary Italian Politics, 6 (3): 285-299.
• 2014: "Gli italiani e la politica estera" (with Linda Basile and Pierangelo Isernia), in Ettore Greco (ed.), Scegliere per contare: Rapporto sulla politica estera italiana, pp. 91-122, Roma: Nuova Cultura. 
• 2014: "Furore anti-tedesco in Italia" (with Linda Basile), in AffarInternazionali, May 19.
• 2014: "Images of the Immigrant: European public opinion and Immigration" (with Pierangelo Isernia), in Michela Ceccorulli and Nicola Labanca (eds.), The EU, Migration and the Politics of Administrative Detention: Insights from Positive Psychology, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
• 2013: “Qualità della deliberazione e capacità deliberativa: un’analisi comparata delle esperienze italiane” (with Irena Fiket and Pierangelo Isernia) in Luigi Bobbio (ed.), La qualità della deliberazione. Studio sui processi dialogici tra cittadini, Roma: Carocci.
• 2013: “Partecipanti e non partecipanti. Limiti di rappresentatività in pratiche di democrazia deliberativa", Italian Political Science Review / Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica, 43 (1): 57-96.
• 2012: “Transatlantic Watch: Cosa l'Europa si aspetta da Obama", Aspenia, 59, pp.9-15.
• 2011: "United by the nation, divided over federalism: a research survey for Italy's birthday", Italian Political Science, 6.
• 2010: “Comportamento elettorale ed elezioni europee. Spunti per ripensare il modello di elezioni di secondo ordine”, in F. Di Sarcina, L. Grazi, L. Scichilone (a cura di), Res Europae. Attori, politiche e sfide strategiche dell'integrazione europea, Firenze, CET, pp.289-303.
• 2010: “Public Opinion Research in Political Science”, Politikon, 16 (1): 7-20.

Book Reviews

• 2013: "Italian Military Operations Abroad: Just Don’t Call It War", by Piero Ignazi, Giampiero Giacomello e Fabrizio Coticchia, Houndmills, UK, Palgrave Macmillan in Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica, 2: 305-307.
• 2011: "The Global Political System", by Fulvio Attinà, Houndmills, UK, Palgrave Macmillan in Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica, 2: 316-17.
• 2010: “Defining and Defying Organized Crime. Discourse, perceptions and reality” edited by Felia Allum, Francesca Longo, Daniela Irrera e Panos A. Kostakos, New York, Routledge, in Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica, 3: 474-75.

Other publications

• 2018: "Divides over the EU migration and asylum policy among Europeans", EUENGAGE newsletter no.5, February.
• 2018: "Mind the gap: effects of online deliberation on the public-elite divide" (with Linda Basile), EuVisions, focus article.
• 2017: "Once we were friends. EU support and reciprocal views between Germany and Italy" (with Alessandro Pellegata), EuVisions, focus article.
• 2015: "I giovani e l'Europa. Indagine sulla popolazione studentesca dell'Università di Siena" (with Linda Basile, Enrico Bellucci, Alba Ferreri, and Pierangelo Isernia), Research report, Università di Siena.
• 2014: "International Security Across the Atlantic: A Longitudinal Comparison of Public Opinion in Europe and the United States" (with Philip Everts and Pierangelo Isernia), Transworld Working Paper, 29, May.
• 2013: "Il voto a 16 anni. Una ricerca sulla partecipazione politica dei giovani e sull’abbassamento dell’età minima di voto" (with Kaat Smets), Working paper realizzato con il contributo della Regione Toscana (decreto n.6345 del 28/12/2011).
• 2013: "Gli italiani e la politica estera" (with Linda Basile and Pierangelo Isernia), Research report, Istituto Affari Internazionali. 
• 2011 (March 17): "Il federalismo sconfitto dall'Italia Unita", Speciale gruppo Corriere 150 anni d'Unità d'Italia, p.14.
• 2005:  “Popolarità di gabinetto al debutto di ventidue crisi internazionali britanniche. Revisione del rally ’round the flag effect”, Occasional Paper, Interdepartmental Center for Political Change (CIRCaP), University of Siena, n.15.

PRIZES AND AWARDS

• 2018: National Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor (Abilitazione Scientifica Nazionale - Professore Seconda Fascia) in Political Science (14/A2).
• 2016: Best paper award for the best paper presented at the 11th European Community Studies Association Canada (ECSA-C) Biennial Conference, May 9-11, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 
• 2012: Nominated for the ECPR Jean Blondel Ph.D. prize by the teaching staff of the graduate school of "Political Science - Comparative and European Politics", University of Siena.
• 2010: 3rd place at the Montaione International Prize for a paper on participation by a young researcher.
• 2010: Nomination for the IPSA/SISP prize for the best paper presented by a young scholar at the 24th annual meeting of the Italian Political Science Association, September 16-18, Venice, Italy. Paper: "Partecipanti e non partecipanti. Limiti di rappresentatività in pratiche di democrazia deliberativa".

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• International Studies Association (ISA)
• European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR)
• European International Studies Association (EISA)
• Italian Political Science Association (SISP)

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