The ASEP PhD Program proudly concludes the 37th cycle with the final dissertation discussions of its doctoral candidates, each presenting original research that deepens our understanding of urgent social challenges.

Christabel Anyango Gero defended her dissertation, The Relationship Between (Rapid) Repeat Adolescent Pregnancy and Early Marriage – Case Study of Kenya, offering a critical analysis of the interplay between early marriage and repeat adolescent pregnancies, with key implications for public health and gender equality in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Alice Buonaguidi presented Reframing Trafficking: Recent Transformations, Existing Invisibilities, and the Exploitation of Migrants in the Italian Sex Markets, which examines the changing dynamics of human trafficking and highlights the often-hidden exploitation of migrants within Italy’s sex industry.

Davide Bussi explored patterns of class persistence and change in his dissertation, Micro-class Reproduction and Mobility in Italy, contributing valuable insights to debates on inequality and social stratification.

Anna Rio concluded with At Social Europe’s Ground Floor: The Street-Level Implementation of the Active Labour Reform in Three Italian Settings, an in-depth study of how European labor policies are put into practice at the local level.

These final discussions not only mark the culmination of years of rigorous research but also showcase the ASEP program’s mission to foster scholarship that engages critically with pressing societal issues.