Francesco Loiacono is a Principal Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. His research focuses on firms and labor markets in low- and middle-income countries.
 
Specifically, he studies how to improve labor market integration of refugees, the role of accessing credit in shaping business growth, and how to improve efficiency and reduce corruption in public procurement. In a separate line of research, he studies the effect of religion on economic success.
 
Prior to receiving his PhD in Economics from the IIES at Stockholm University, he received a MSc and a BSc from Bocconi University and was a researcher at BRAC in Uganda and the World Bank in Nigeria.