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Luca Bernardi

Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Liverpool
I am a Senior Lecturer (Junior Associate Professor) in the Department of Politics at the University of Liverpool. I joined the Department as a Lecturer in Politics in September 2019. Before moving to Liverpool, I was a Juan de la Cierva-formación Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Political Science and Public Law at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and part of the DEC research group. Previously, I was a researcher in the ERC-funded ResponsiveGov Project at the School of History, Politics and International Relations at the University of Leicester, where I obtained my PhD with a dissertation investigating the effects of electoral incentives on government responsiveness to public opinion. I hold an MA (Florence) and a BA (Cagliari) in Political Science. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

My research is largely based on quantitative data and I am interested to explore the following research areas and questions:

- Mental health and politics (e.g., how do mental health problems - such as depression, anxiety and stress - influence political perceptions, attitudes, behaviours and decision-making? How does politics affect people's mental health? What are the determinants of policy attention and policy change on mental health?)
- Public opinion and public policy (e.g., to what public opinion signals does policy respond? To what extent do factors such as electoral incentives condition the opinion-policy link? What are the consequences of government (non)responsiveness?)
- Mass-elite linkages (e.g., what are the causes and consequences of voters' perceptions of parties' policy positions? Do voters punish and reward parties for what they say or what they do?)

Economy

Federal Reserve Probes Big Banks Over Private Credit Exposure Amid Growing Systemic Risk Concerns

The Federal Reserve has launched a formal inquiry into major U.S. banks and their financial ties to the private credit sector, raising fresh concerns about systemic risk across the $1.8 trillion industry. The move comes as...

Middle East Conflict Threatens Global Economic Stability, World Bank Warns

The ongoing Middle East war is sending shockwaves through the global economy, and even a fragile ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump may not be enough to prevent lasting damage, World Bank President Ajay...

U.S. Markets Post Strong Weekly Gains Despite Middle East Tensions and Rising Energy Prices

U.S. stock markets closed mixed on Friday as investors weighed a fragile Middle East ceasefire against an inflation report that came in better than feared. Despite Fridays uneven session, major indexes logged their...

Colombia and Ecuador Trade War Escalates With Retaliatory Tariffs

Tensions between Colombia and Ecuador have reached a breaking point after Colombia announced 100% retaliatory tariffs on Ecuadorian imports, intensifying an ongoing trade dispute between two ideologically divided...

Asia FX Weekly Gains Hold Amid U.S. Inflation Data and Iran Ceasefire Uncertainty

Most Asian currencies slipped slightly on Friday but remained on track to close the week in positive territory, as traders adopted a cautious stance ahead of the U.S. March Consumer Price Index (CPI) release and monitored...

Politics

Iran's Lost Mines Threaten Strait of Hormuz Reopening and Global Oil Markets

A major obstacle has surfaced in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after Iran admitted it can no longer locate or recover all of the naval mines it deployed in the critical waterway, according to a New York Times...

MATCH Act: How New U.S. Chip Legislation Could Freeze China's Semiconductor Ambitions

American lawmakers are advancing one of the most aggressive semiconductor export control bills ever proposed. The Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware Act, widely known as the MATCH Act, has drawn...

FAA and Pentagon Approve Laser Counter-Drone System Along U.S.-Mexico Border

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon have reached a landmark agreement authorizing the deployment of a high-energy laser counter-drone system along the southern U.S. border. This milestone follows extensive...

Eric Swalwell Faces Sexual Assault Allegations Amid California Governor's Race

California Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell is facing serious sexual assault allegations from a former district office staffer, throwing his prominent gubernatorial campaign into turmoil. The accusations, first...

Iran's Missile Arsenal Poses Ongoing Risk Despite U.S. Claims of Destruction

Recent U.S. intelligence assessments reveal that Iran still maintains thousands of operational ballistic missiles, directly contradicting the White Houses assertion that the regimes military capabilities have been...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

OpenAI Addresses Security Vulnerability in macOS App Certification Process

OpenAI disclosed a security concern on Friday involving a third-party developer tool known as Axios, which is connected to the process used to verify the authenticity of its macOS applications. The company confirmed it has...

San Francisco Suspect Arrested After Molotov Cocktail Attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Home

San Francisco police arrested a 20-year-old suspect Friday following a pre-dawn attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altmans residence in the citys North Beach neighborhood. According to the San Francisco Police Department, an...

SanDisk Joins Nasdaq-100, Replacing Atlassian on April 20

Nasdaq Inc. confirmed late Friday that SanDisk Corporation will enter the Nasdaq-100 Index, taking the spot previously held by Atlassian Corp Plc when markets open on Monday, April 20, 2026. The change signals a broader...

TSMC Posts Strong Q1 2025 Revenue, Riding AI Chip Demand Wave

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the worlds leading contract chipmaker, has reported first-quarter revenue of T$1.134 trillion (approximately $35.71 billion USD), surpassing analyst expectations and...

Lumentum Holdings Rides AI Wave With Order Book Filled Through 2028

Lumentum Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: LITE) is experiencing a surge in demand from the artificial intelligence sector, with its order pipeline now fully booked through 2028, according to a Bloomberg report published Thursday. The...