Francesco Sarracino, PhD

Senior Economist, Head of the Well-being and Entrepreneurship Unit and Deputy Director, STATEC Research · Invited Keynote Speaker

Francesco Sarracino is a senior economist at STATEC Research, the research division of Luxembourg's National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. He heads the Well-being and Entrepreneurship Research Unit and serves as Deputy Director of the Research Department. His work explores how economies can improve people's well-being while supporting socially and environmentally sustainable development.

He holds a PhD in Development Economics from the University of Florence. Before joining STATEC in 2012, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at CEPS/INSTEAD in Luxembourg and as a DAAD fellow at GESIS in Germany. His research examines the relationships between economic growth, social capital, trust and quality of life, identifying evidence-based policies that place human wellbeing at the centre of development.

His work has appeared in journals including Nature Human Behaviour, World Development, Ecological Economics and the Journal of Happiness Studies. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Wellbeing Economics, a member of the World Wellbeing Panel and an external expert for Eurofound.

At the Lagos WellTech Summit, Francesco brings a perspective on wellbeing economics and measuring progress beyond GDP, helping frame discussions on how public policy, social connections, and territorial development can contribute to healthier, more sustainable communities.