SIXTH EDITION
22 - 24 October 2025
Employment and Mobility over the life course in changing societies
The "Trento School of Applied Quantitative Research" provides advanced training on key social science research topics using an analytical approach based on sociological, economic, demographic, statistical and computer science perspectives.
The School aims to provide a systematic integration of the theoretical, methodological and technical ‘cutting-edge’ aspects of applied quantitative research.
The School is addressed to PhD students, post-docs and early-stage researchers of universities, public and private research institutions.
The official language of the School is English.
The sixth edition focuses on employment, work trajectories, and social inequality. The School will be held on-site in Trento, Italy, from 22 to 24 October 2025.
PROGRAM
The 6th Edition focuses on Employment, Work trajectories, and Social Inequality. The theoretical sessions critically examine employment and mobility aspects of contemporary life courses and how they influence current and future inequalities. The methodological sessions provide a specific training on (1) investigating the intergenerational implications of non-standard parental work arrangements; (2) diagonal reference models applied to the study of both inter- and intragenerational mobility and their influence on various life course outcomes; (3) and how to measure life course and employment complexity via the decomposition of employment states.
Morning session
A presentation by the speakers of the on-going research or recently published papers with a detailed discussion of the research design, theoretical framework, and the innovative contribution with respect to the previous literature.
Afternoon session
An applied session to address the research strategies and methodological techniques used to implement the analysis of the research questions in the studies at stake. In this session, participants will discuss and apply the methods and techniques characterizing the topic and the works presented in the morning.
The Trento School of Applied Quantitative Research will give its participants the opportunity to learn the conceptual steps and empirical tools needed to develop theoretically-guided empirical research, which uses high-quality data and advanced analysis techniques.
Detailed Program
22 October – Anette Fasang (WZB Berlin), Nhat-An Thrin (University of Oxford)
Morning session: Transforming work arrangements and the implications for future generations
Afternoon session: Assessing the intergenerational implications of non-standard parental work arrangements
23 October – Alexi Gugushvili (University of Oslo)
Morning session: The effect of mobility: a systematic review
Afternoon session: Diagonal reference model, intragenerational mobility, and life course outcomes
24 October – Johan Westerman (SOFI Stockholm), Roujman Shahbazian (SOFI Stockholm)
Morning session: The historical evolution of life course complexity among 1930s–1980s birth cohorts in Sweden
Afternoon session: Beyond sequence clusters: Measuring life course complexity
SPEAKERS
Anette Eva Fasang (WZB Berlin)
Annette Eva Fasang is a Professor of Microsociology at Humboldt-University of Berlin and Director of the Berlin Graduate School of Social Sciences (BGSS). Previously, she was the Head of the research group "Demography and Inequality" at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. Her research interests include social demography, stratification, life course sociology, family demography, and methods for longitudinal data analysis.
Nhat-An Thrin (University of Oxford)
Nhat-An Thrin is a Research Officer at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, the Department of Social Policy and Intervention and a Non-Stipendiary Research Fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Her ongoing work investigates how social class structures earnings trajectories, the role of parental gifts and inheritances for wealth inequality, and social mobility among children of immigrants.
Alexi Gugushvili (University of Oslo)
Alexi Gugushvili is a Professor of Sociology and Social Geography at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo, Norway. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, his academic interests and publications deal with socioeconomic and political determinants of health and well-being; social stratification, social mobility, and equality of opportunity; and public opinion, collective memory, and social change. Originally from Sokhumi, Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast, Alexi is also interested in the issues of ethnicity, nationality and citizenship.
Johan Westerman (SOFI Stockholm)
Johan Westerman is a researcher at the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University, where in 2020 he obtained his PhD in Sociology. His dissertation, entitled ‘Motives Matter’, investigated the intrinsic motivation in work learning and labor market performance. His analytical approach is oriented towards a thorough understanding of (job) task involvement and within-career mobility processes. He currently studies the occupational structure and structural change in high-income countries, as well as the extent to which these factors shape labor market inequality in careers, wages and job attainment.
Roujman Shahbazian (Uppsala University, SOFI Stockholm, LMU Munich)
Roujman Shahbazian is a lecturer at the Department of Sociology at Uppsala University, and an affiliated researcher at the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University, as well as, at the Department of Sociology at University of Munich (LMU). His research centers on understanding how social and economic mobility evolves throughout a person’s life and how it affects future generations. He is particularly interested in whether people’s careers stabilize or fluctuate over time, and how these patterns influence broader social mobility. In collaboration with University of Lausanne and Stockholm University, Shahbazian is developing a new measure of social hierarchy called Occupational Earning Potential (OEP), which focuses on the economic advantage of occupations.
APPLICATION
The application deadline is 25 August 2025, 12:00 PM (CET).
To apply, please include:
- Curriculum vitae (1-2 pages)
- Short motivation letter specifying your own research topics (1-2 pages)
Note: upload PDFs ONLY.
Application results will be notified by early September 2025.
Direct link to the application form.
FEES
Only selected candidates can register.
Standard participant
The fee for participation is € 350: it includes tuition, coffee-breaks and lunches during the 3-day event, plus the social dinner.
UniTrento enrolled
The selected candidates enrolled at the University of Trento are fee-exempted, but they need to register in any case.
REGISTRATION
The link to the online registration will be sent to the eligible and selected candidates.
Note: Participants will be responsible for the costs of board and lodging in Trento. Accommodations at agreed rates will be notified to the participants.
DOWNLOAD
Dati fatturazione enti pubblici italiani (DOCX | 243 KB )
COMMITTEES
Scientific and organising committee
PAST EDITIONS
FIFTH EDITION
23 - 25 October 2024
Social Policies: meanings, measures and effects on individuals’ behaviour
Detailed program
The 5th Edition focuses on Social Policies. The theoretical sessions will range from the conceptualization and measurement of Social Policies to their assessment in an empirical and comparative framework. The methodological sessions provide a specific training on (1) discrete-time event history analysis with the integration of micro and macro data; (2) multilevel regression analysis using micro and macro data in a comparative framework; and (3) causal estimation using semiparametric event study approach and quasi-experimental methods.
23 October - Gerda Neyer (SUDA) and Sunnee Billingsley (SUDA)
- Morning session: Social policy conceptualization and social investment approach
- Afternoon session: Discrete-time event history analysis using micro and macro data
24 October - Emmanuele Pavolini (Milan Statale) and Leo Azzollini (UniTrento)
- Morning session: Matthew Effect in social investment policies
- Afternoon session: Multilevel regression analysis
25 October - Bernd Fitzenberger (IAB Nuremberg) and Arnim Seidlitz (IAB Nuremberg)
- Morning session: Measurement and assessment of social policy reforms
- Afternoon session: Semiparametric event study approach and quasi-experimental methods
FOURTH EDITION
25 - 27 October 2023
Education and social inequalities
Detailed program
This edition of the school focuses on Education and Social Inequalities. Theoretical sessions deal with inequalities in educational expectations and returns and in skill development, and the role of social origin. The methods sessions provide a specific training on (1) integration of micro and macro data for comparative analysis; (2) causal estimation in observational settings using regression discontinuity design (RDD); and (3) use of field experiments for the study of educational interventions.
25 October - Luis Ortiz-Gervasi (UPF Barcelona)
● Morning session: Educational expectations, the role of social origin and gender
● Afternoon session: Comparative analysis using micro and macro data
26 October - Fabrizio Bernardi (UNED)
● Morning session: Compensatory advantage and mechanisms of educational inequalities
● Afternoon session: Regression discontinuity design
27 October - Carlo Barone (Sciences Po)
● Morning session: Behavioral models and educational inequalities in skill development
● Afternoon session: The design of field experiments in education
THIRD EDITION
30 November - 2 December 2022
Technological Change, Inequality and Social Stratification
Detailed program
The substantive topics include the role of Technology, Institutions and Demographic Change in shaping income inequality; the impact of Robotization, AI, and Algorithmic Management on jobs availability, job quality and employment structure; as well as the dynamics and mechanisms of intergenerational mobility. Applied sessions cover (1) data, research design and analytical tools applied to the analysis of technologically induced structural change; (2) decomposition techniques and measurement of inequality using survey data; and (3) the use of machine learning for the study of intergenerational mobility.
30 November - Enrique Fernández-Macías and Mattia Sostero (Joint Research Center - European Commission)
- Morning session: Automation, digitisation and platforms: Implications for work and employment
- Afternoon session: Learning about workplace tasks and digital skills from online job advertisements
1 December - Zachary Parolin (Bocconi University)
- Morning session: Explaining the rise of income inequality in Europe: technology, institutions, or demographic change?
- Afternoon session: Decomposition analysis
2 December - Michele Raitano and Francesco Bloise (Sapienza University of Rome)
- Morning session: Structural determinants of income inequality: education, technology and family background
- Afternoon session: Using Machine Learning to measure inequality and intergenerational mobility
SECOND EDITION
24 - 26 November 2021
Health inequalities, family and labour market dynamics
Detailed program
The substantive topics include the correlates of psychological and physical health in terms of parental marriage and ethnicity, employment and unemployment transitions, and the role of welfare policies in longitudinal and comparative perspectives. Applied sessions cover classification and regression tree (CART) methods, hybrid panel models and difference-in-differences propensity score matching.
24 November - Anna Baranowska-Rataj (Umeå University)
- Morning session: Partner's unemployment and health in comparative perspective
- Afternoon session: Analysing comparative longitudinal data
25 November - Wendy Sigle (London School of Economics) and Alice Goisis (University College London)
- Morning session: The health advantages associated with parental marriage
- Afternoon session: Using and interpreting demographic measures in quantitative research
26 November - Jonas Voßemer (MZES/University of Frankfurt) and Michael Gebel (University of Bamberg)
- Morning session: Unemployment, temporary work, and health and well-being
- Afternoon session: How to estimate effects using difference-in-differences combined with statistical matching
FIRST EDITION
9 - 11 October 2019
Household Dynamics, Family Events, and Inequalities in the Life-Course
Detailed program
The substantive topics include education and marital dissolution, employment and divorce, couples’ division of labour in comparative and longitudinal perspective. The applied sessions will cover panel data models, multi-process hazard models and meta-analytical tools.
9 October
- Morning session: Juho Härkönen (European University Institute) – Parental Education and Family Dissolutions
- Afternoon session: M.D. Anne Brons (Utrecht University) – How to compare countries and cohorts using meta-analytical tools
10 October
- Morning session: Daniele Vignoli (University of Florence) – Women’s employment and divorce in a comparative perspective
- Afternoon session: Valentina Tocchioni (University of Florence) – How to account for selection and anticipation mechanism using multi-process models
11 October
- Morning session: Thomas Leopold (University of Amsterdam) – Retirement and gender gap in household labor
- Afternoon session: Jan Skopek (Trinity College Dublin) – How to study individual changes over time using fixed-effects panel regression models
VENUE
The Square School will take place at the Department of Sociology and Social Research of the University of Trento (via Verdi, 26). The Department is located in the heart of the historic centre of Trento, just a short walk from the Cathedral (Piazza Duomo) and 10 minutes’ walk from the railway station.
Getting here
By car or coach
The main road accesses to Trento are the following:
- Strada Statale dell'Abetone e del Brennero SS12
- Autostrada del Brennero - A22 motorway: coming by A22 is necessary take the Trento Sud exit and follow the SS12 direction Trento centro
- Superstrada della Valsugana for those coming from Venice SS47
- Strada Statale 45 bis (Gardesana Occidentale) for those coming from Brescia.
By train
All long-distance Italian and European trains stop in Trento. Timetable details can be consulted through the following link: Trenitalia or Italo.
By airplane
If you are travelling by plain, you can land at:
- Verona Catullo Airport - 95 km: the airport has a shuttle bus service, which takes to the railway station of Verona. By car, take the motorway A22 from the entrance Verona Nord.
- Bergamo Orio al Serio "Caravaggio" (180 Km) – This is the main Italian hub for low cost airlines. The airport is connected to Bergamo and Milano with bus services and also hosts numerous car rental companies. Trento is reached in a couple of hours by car via the A4 and A22 motorways.
- Innsbruck (180 Km) - From Innsbruck you can reach Trento in a couple of hours by car going through the Brenner pass and driving along the A22 motorway. If you would like to travel by train, Innsbruck is on the route connecting Munich, Brenner, and Verona.
- Venice "Marco Polo" (220 km) – the airport is connected to the nearby railway stations of Venice-Santa Lucia and Mestre-Venice by scheduled bus services. By car take the SS14 and continue on A27, take the exit direction Milano/Bologna and continue on A4. After 70 km take the exit Brennero/Verona and take the A22.
- Bologna “Guglielmo Marconi” (229 km) - the airport is connected to the train station by the shuttle bus service. By car, Trento can be reached in a couple of hours driving via the motorways (A1 to Modena and then A22 northwards).
- Milano Linate (215 km) – the shuttle service will take you to the Stazione Centrale of Milano, from this central station you can easily take the train to Trento (there is no direct train, it’s necessary to change train in Verona Porta Nuova, from where there is a train to Trento almost every hour). By car follow direction to motorway A4 Milano/Venezia: after 100 km, take the Peschiera exit and follow direction to A22 motorway.
- Milano Malpensa (265 km): the shuttle service is the same as at the Milano Linate. By car take the Strada Statale SS336 direction A8 Milano. So take the motorway A8 and after 12 km take A4 motorway direction Venezia. After 100 km take the Peschiera exit and follow direction to A22 motorway.
City Travel
Travelling within the Province is convenient thanks to the local bus and train network. Taxis can be caught anywhere in the city or booked on the phone number (+39) 0461 930002.
CONTACTS
For any further information please write to tn_square.soc@unitn.it
Organising secretariat:
Segreteria Dipartimento di Sociologia e Ricerca Sociale
Via Verdi, 26 - 38122 Trento, Italy
ph: +39 0461 281322 - 1425 - 3455
eventi.srs@unitn.it