Dario Laudati received his PhD in Economics from the University of Southern California. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Bocconi University (Italy), and a Joint Master's degree in Economics from Bocconi and Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium). He is primarily interested in the interconnections between macroeconomics and finance, and in international macro. During his Ph.D., he conducted studies on wealth inequality in the U.S., geographic inequality in Italy, and the effect of sanctions on the Iranian economy. Dario is joining the Money and Finance Lab to work on the links between banking competition, lobbying, and financial deregulation in the U.S., among others. Additional information about Dario’s research can be found on his website.