Erasmus staff mobility programme brings political science expert to Cardiff

An assistant professor from the Department of Political Sciences, Communication Sciences and Information Engineering, University of Sassari (Italy) joins the School of Social Sciences under the Erasmus staff exchange programme.

Dr Marco Calaresu will be in Cardiff over February and March to undertake study and teach Criminology students.

After studying his PhD in Political Science at Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane - Scuola Normale Superiore, Dr Calaresu became a Visiting Researcher at the International Business School of Jönköping (Sweden) and Visiting Scholar at New York University (USA) before undertaking his current role at University of Sassari.

With research interests including urban security policies and the quality of democracy, Dr Calaresu will work closely with Adam Edwards, Reader in Politics and Criminology in the School of Social Sciences, to collaborate on research into the politics of security in European city-regions. He will also teach on the undergraduate module in Theory and Method in Contemporary Criminology, as well as on the Master’s in Crime, Safety and Justice.

Dr Calaresu says of his visit: “I’m delighted to be visiting Cardiff in February and March. It’s a terrific opportunity for me to work with colleagues from Cardiff University’s Centre for Crime, Law and Justice including work developing the Policing European Metropolises Project – led, in Cardiff, by Adam Edwards – in which I have been involved with researchers studying the politics of security in 22 city-regions across 9 European countries.

In addition, I have been involved in several research projects related to urban security in which I used an emerging methodology in social sciences – developed by Prof. Roberto Franzosi at Emory University – called Quantitative Narrative Analysis, to study urban security policy in Italy, and, in particular, the impact of security pacts, written contracts issued by local governments. A key focus of my time in Cardiff will be discussing the insights of this methodology with staff and students in the School of Social Sciences.”

Dr Calaresu’s visit is funded by the Erasmus Plus Programme (Staff Mobility for Teaching), which provides opportunities for academics to spend time at a partner institution to improve their skills, enhance their employability and gain cultural awareness. The programme enables individuals to apply for funding to run mobility projects, spending a period of time in another participating country in the EU and gaining valuable experience of life, study and work.

Adam Edwards commented: “We are delighted to welcome Dr Calaresu to the School of Social Sciences. This visit provides an ideal opportunity for our undergraduate and postgraduate students to learn from one of the future leaders of European criminology and to explore further possibilities for collaborative teaching and research. Dr Calaresu’s visit also begins a broader programme of exchange visits to Cardiff of researchers involved in the Policing European Metropolises Project which considers the rapidly evolving politics of security in European city-regions.”