Introducing the FUS Faculty: Leonardo Conte

Adjunct Professor, International Business Economics

MSc Economics
BA Economics

Leonardo is PhD Candidate of Economic and Social Sciences at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), and former fellow of the Harvard Policy and Institutional Research Project (USA). As co-founder of the Swiss network of Rethinking Economics, he advocates for pluralism in economic research and education. At Franklin University Switzerland, he has been teaching the graduate course on International Business Economics and the undergraduate academic travel course on Slow Economics. His current research project analyzes the role of qualitative methods and non-quantifiable socio-cultural variables in Economics.

Professional Experience:

Research Assistant at The Swiss Institute for Alternative Thinking
Adjunct Professor at Franklin University Switzerland
Co-founder of Rethinking Economics Switzerland

2023-2024 Courses

ECN 210T	Slow Living Economies: Sustainability and Quality of Life (Southern Italy)	SPRING 2024
The aim of this course is to examine the 'Slow Living' economies, illustrate their fundamental features, and show how they can match a high quality of life with an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Drawing upon insights from the economics of wellbeing, happiness economics, and ecological economics, the course provides introductory knowledge on post-growth, anti-consumption, and the so-called 'Slow Economics'. Contrasting the latter with standard economic principles of efficiency, utility, and optimization unveils the hidden consequences of high-speed modern economies; exposing students to alternative modes of organizing contemporary society. This Academic Travel Course will explore the exemplary case of the Southern Italian region of Cilento (Campania), a unique ecosystem where cultural heritage (three UNESCO World Heritage Sites), slow food (home to the Mediterranean Diet), healthy lifestyles (a "Blue Zone" of Extreme Longevity), and environmental protection (the National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano), blend together as the key ingredients making a rural region to thrive. Through different forms of experiential learning, students will have the chance to grasp, absorb, and digest the principles of integral ecology, prosperity thinking, and sustainable development.

Research Interests:

Sustainable Consumption
Ecological Economics
Philosophy of Social Science
History of Economic Thought
Qualitative Research Methods

Publications:

Leaua, C., Conte, L. and Leaua, G. (Forthcoming). When Small Turns Out to Be (Better Than) Big: Technological Innovation and Environmental Protection in Small States. In “Small States meet Blockchain. The World of Small States”. Springer.
Conte, L. and Pellandini-Simányi, L. (Forthcoming). Nudging as a Tool of Market Design and Profitability: Performativity in the Age of Behavioural Economics. Cambridge University Press.
Conte, L. and Pellandini-Simányi, L. (Forthcoming). Behavioural Economic Imperialism: Struggles over authority between marketing and behavioural economics expertise in business contexts. Journal of Marketing Management.
Leaua, C., Conte, L. and Leaua, G. (Forthcoming). Revisiting the Economic Value of the Choice of Law in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. World Arbitration and Mediation Review.
Leaua, C., Conte, L. and Leaua, G. (2023). A Case for Mundialisation: Scaling Technological Innovation from Municipalities to Small States. Futuri, 20: 199-213.
Conte, L. (2023). The Role of Marketing and Business-to-Consumer Nudging in Fostering Sustainable Consumption. In Schweizerische Akademie der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften: Wege zu einem nachhaltigen Konsum | Vers une consommation durable, Swiss Academies Communications, 18(5): 108-116. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8158641.
Pellandini-Simányi, L. and Conte, L. (2021). Consumer de-responsibilization: changing notions of consumer subjects and market moralities after the 2008–9 financial crisis. Consumption Markets & Culture, 24(3): 280-305. DOI: 10.1080/10253866.2020.1781099.

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Leonardo Conte

Adjunct Professor, International Business Economics

Professional Experience:

2023-2024 Courses

Research Interests:

Publications: