Leonardo Conte
Nationality: Italian
+41 21 695 55 01
EPFL › ENAC › IA › LASUR
Website: https://lasur.epfl.ch/
Expertise
- Behaviour change;
- Modal choice and modal shift;
- Mixed methods.
Mission
- Develop mobility practices in line with climate objectives;
- Encourage modal shift towards low-carbon modes of transport;
- Promote "slow living economies".
Current Work
- Impact evaluation of fare-free public transportation (FFPT) on modal shift;
- Analysis of travel time satisfaction based on lifestyle patterns;
- Study of modal choice and socio-cultural factors influencing car dependency.
Leonardo Conte is postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Urban Sociology (LaSUR) at EPFL in Lausanne. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Fribourg, where he worked on economic methodology and consumer behaviour. His research focuses on the socio-cultural dimensions of mobility and transport behaviour, with a particular emphasis on modal shift, fare-free public transportation, and car dependency. He uses a mixed approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, to analyse changes in consumer culture and their implications for ecological transition. A former adjunct professor of economics at Franklin University Switzerland, he co-founded Rethinking Economics Switzerland and is currently a member of the Swiss Donut Economics Network. He has further collaborated with the Italian Institute for the Future, the Swiss Institute for Alternative Thinking, the Harvard Policy and Institutional Research Project, and the Behavior Lab.
Professionals experiences
Research Assistant
- • Authored scientific articles on technology and sustainability
- • Structured research ideas and managed publication processes
- • Produced business reports and edited public presentations
Adjunct Professor
- • Designed and taught graduate courses on climate economics
- • Organised and led academic travels with undergraduates
- • Collaborated with faculty members and attended seminars
Teaching and Research Assistant
- • Lectured courses in marketing and consumer behaviour
- • Pursued scientific research in behavioural economics
- • Represented the intermediate body at the academic senate
Junior Research Fellow
- • Collected and analysed data on comparative public policy
- • Produced reports on changes in the Italian education system
- • Collaborated with international teams of junior researchers
Education
Economics
| Economic and Social Sciences
2019 – 2024
Université de Fribourg
Directed by
Sergio Rossi
Economics
| Economics and International Policies
2016 – 2017
Università della Svizzera italiana
Directed by
Alvaro Cencini
Economics
| Economics, Organizations and Markets
2011 – 2014
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Directed by
Daniela Parisi
Publications non-EPFL
Journal Articles
2025
* Oltre il mito della libertà individuale: scelta, azione e movimento nell’era del mercato libero
International Review of Palliative Marketing. 2025.2024
* Revisiting the Economic Value of the Choice of Law in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
World Arbitration and Mediation Review. 2024.2023
* A Case for Mundialisation: Scaling Technological Innovation from Municipalities to Small States
Futuri. 2023.* The Role of Marketing and Business-to-Consumer Nudging in Fostering Sustainable Consumption
Swiss Academies Communications. 2023. DOI : 10.5281/zenodo.8158640.2021
* Consumer de-responsibilization: changing notions of consumer subjects and market moralities after the 2008–9 financial crisis
Consumption, Markets & Culture. 2021. DOI : 10.1080/10253866.2020.1781099.Book Chapters
2025
* When Small Turns Out to Be (Better Than) Big: Technological Innovation and Environmental Protection in Small States
Small States and International Law; Brill | Nijhoff, 2025. p. 28 - 47.2024
* Nudging as a Tool of Market Design and Profitability: Performativity in the Age of Behavioural Economics
Market Studies; Cambridge University Press, 2024. p. 127 - 143.* Nature Capital, Nature Markets and Arbitration
ESG and Disputes: Flash in the Pan or Game Changer?; Kluwer Law International, 2024. p. 5 - 20.Working Papers
2024
* The Swiss Patriciates: A Model Case for Sustainable Development Goals’ Implementation
2024* The Art of Questioning: Redefining the Value of Interrogative Communication in the Era of AI
2024Posters
2022
* The Making of Healthy, Wealthy, and Happy Consumers: Practices and Politics of Nudging in For-Profit Firms
Consumer Culture Theory Conference, Corvallis, OR, United States, 2022.student-coar-types:c_db06
2024
* Qualitative Economics: Integrating Qualitative Research Methods into Economic Analysis
2024.Research
Current Research Fields
Modal choice and modal shift; Transport behaviour; Fare-free public transportation (FFPT); Rhythms of life.