Sylke Viola Schnepf

Sylke V. Schnepf is working in the Competence Centre on Microeconomic Evaluation and on the cross-national research project examining aspects of loneliness and fairness in Ispra, Italy. She is a member of the JRC Scientific Committee.

Sylke obtained a Masters in political sciences, psychology and law in 1999 and a PhD in Economics in 2005. Previously, she worked as a consultant for the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence, Italy and as an Associate Professor in Social Statistics at the University of Southampton, UK.

Sylke provides scientific expertise and methodological support for counterfactual impact evaluation. Her main methodological research interests focus on impact evaluation methods and survey design. She examines aspects of fairness focusing mainly on education and climate change policies.

Papers in peer reviewed journals

• Granato, S., Havari, E, Mazzarella, G. and Schnepf, S.V. (2024) ‘Study abroad programmes and student outcomes: Evidence from Erasmus’, Economics of Education Review, 99, ISSN 0272-7757, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2024.102510
• Granato, S. and Schnepf, S.V. (2024), ‘Why are lower socioeconomic background students underrepresented in Erasmus? A focus on the selection into mobility and degree course organization’, Studies in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2024.2349963
• Buchs, M., Bastianelli, E. and Schnepf, S.V. (2024), ‘Public opposition to fuel taxes in Europe: how important is social disadvantage and how do welfare regimes compare?’, Journal of European Social Policy, forthcoming.
• Schnepf, S.V., Boldrini, M. and Blaskó, Z. (2023) ‘Adolescents’ loneliness in European schools: a multilevel exploration of school environment and individual factors.’ BMC Public Health 23, 1917. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16797-z
• Schnepf, S.V., Bastianelli, B. and Blasko, Z. (2022), 'What can explain the socio-economic gap in international student mobility uptake? Similarities between Germany, Hungary, Italy and the UK'. European Educational Research Journal.
• Blasko, Z., da Costa, P. and Schnepf, S.V. (2022), 'Learning losses and educational inequalities in Europe. Mapping the potential consequences of the Covid-19 crisis'. Journal of European Social Policy.
• Buchs, M., Ivanova, D. and Schnepf, S.V. (2021), 'Fairness, effectiveness, and needs satisfaction: new options for designing climate policies'. Environmental Research Letters 16.
• D’Hombres, B. and Schnepf, S.V. (2021) 'International Mobility of Students in Italy and the UK: Does It Pay off and for Whom?'. Higher Education.
• Colagrossi, M., D`Hombres, B. and Schnepf, S.V. (2020), 'Like (grand)parent, like child? Multigenerational mobility across the EU, European Economic Review'.
• Schnepf, S.V. and Colagrossi, M. (2020) 'Is unequal uptake of Erasmus mobility really only due to students' choices? The role of selection into universities and fields of study'. Journal of European Social Policy.
• Durrant, G. and Schnepf, S.V. (2017) 'Which schools and pupils respond to educational achievement surveys?'. A focus on the English PISA sample, JRSS Series A.
• Bardsley, N., Buechs, M. and Schnepf, S.V. (2017) 'Something from nothing: Estimating consumption rates using propensity scores, with application to emissions reduction policies'. PLOS ONE.
• Araujo, L., Saltelli, A., Schnepf, S.V. (2017) 'Do PISA data justify PISA-based education policy?'. International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, Vol. 19 Issue: 1, pp.20-34
• Schnepf, S.V. (2017) 'How do Tertiary Dropouts fare in the Labour Market, A Comparison between EU countries', Higher Education Quarterly, 1:75-96
• Kamanda, M., Madise, N. Schnepf, S.V. (2016) 'Does living in a community with more educated mothers enhance children’s school attendance? Evidence from Sierra Leone'. International Journal of Educational Development, 46:114-124
• Schnepf, S.V. (2015) 'University dropouts and labour market success'. IZA World of Labour, 182
• Buchs, M. and Schnepf, S. V. (2013)'Who emits most? An analysis of UK households' CO2 emissions and their association with socio-economic factors'. Ecological Economics, 90: 114-123
• Micklewright, J., Schnepf, S. V. and Skinner, C. (2012) 'Non-response biases in surveys of school children: the case of the English PISA samples'. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (General), 175: 915-938.
• Micklewright, J., Schnepf, S. V. and Silva, P. N. (2012) 'Peer effects and measurement error: the impact of sampling variation in school survey data (evidence from PISA)'. Economics of Education Review, 31(6): 1136-1142.
• Atkinson, A.B., Backus, P.G., Micklewright, John, Pharoah, Cathy and Schnepf, Sylke V. (2012) 'Charitable giving for overseas development: UK trends over a quarter century'. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), 175: 167-190
• Micklewright, J. and Schnepf, S. V. (2010) 'How reliable are income data collected with a single question?'. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), 173: 409-429.
• Schnepf, S.V. (2010) 'Gender differences in subjective well-being in Central and Eastern Europe'. Journal of European Social Policy, 20: 74-85.
• Micklewright, J. and Schnepf, S.V. (2009), 'Who Gives for Overseas Development?'. Journal of Social Policy, 38: 317-341
• Piper, G. and Schnepf, S.V. (2008), 'Gender Differences in Charitable Giving'. Voluntas, 19: 103-124.
• Jenkins, S., Micklewright, J. and Schnepf, S.V. (2008) 'Social Segregation in Secondary Schools: How does England Compare with Other Countries?'. Oxford Review of Education, 34: 21-37
• Schnepf, S.V. (2007), 'Immigrants’ Educational Disadvantage: An Examination Across Ten Countries and Three Surveys'. Journal of Population Economics, 20:527-545.
• Brown, G, Micklewright, J, Schnepf, S.V., and Waldmann, R. (2007) 'Cross-National Comparisons of Learning Achievement: How Robust are the Findings?'. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A, 170: 626-646.

Books and book chapters

• Schnepf, S.V., Volante, L., Klinger, D., Giancola, O. and Salmieri, L.(eds) (2024), ‘The pandemic, socioeconomic disadvantage, and learning outcomes – Cross-national impact analyses of education policy reforms’. Publications Office of the European Union, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/800165 
• Schnepf, S. V. and Granato, S. (2024), COVID-19 and the European Education Performance Decline: A Focus on Primary School Children's Reading Achievement between 2016 and 2021, in S.V., Volante, L., Klinger, D., Giancola, O. and Salmieri, L.(eds), The pandemic, socioeconomic disadvantage, and learning outcomes – Cross-national impact analyses of education policy reforms. Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.
• Volante, L., Schnepf, S.V. and Klinger, D. (eds) (2022) 'Cross-National Achievement surveys for Monitoring Educational Outcomes: Policies, Practices and Political Reforms within the European Union'. Publications Office of the European Union.
• Volante, L., Schnepf, S.V. and Klinger, D. (2022) 'Cross-national achievement surveys and educational outcomes: a brief history' in Volante, L., Schnepf, S.V. and Klinger, D. (eds): 'Cross-National Achievement surveys for Monitoring Educational Outcomes: Policies, Practices and Political Reforms within the European Union'. Publications Office of the European Union.
• Klinger, D., Schnepf, S.V. and Volante, L. (2022) ‘Cross-national achievement surveys and educational outcomes: a future path’ in Volante, L., Schnepf, S.V. and Klinger, D. (eds): 'Cross-National Achievement surveys for Monitoring Educational Outcomes: Policies, Practices and Political Reforms within the European Union'. Publications Office of the European Union.
• Volante, L., Schnepf, S.V., Jerrim, J, Klinger, D.A. (eds.) (2019) 'Socioeconomic Inequality and Student Outcomes. Cross-National Trends, Policies and Practices'. Singapore: Springer.
• Schnepf, S.V., Klinger, D.A., Volante, L. and Jerrim, J. (2019) 'Cross-national trends in addressing socioeconomic inequality in education'. In Volante, L., Schnepf, S.V., Jerrim, J, Klinger, D.A. (eds) 'Socioeconomic Inequality and Student Outcomes. Cross-National Trends, Policies and Practices'. Singapore: Springer
• Jerrim, J., Volante, L., Klinger, D.A. and Schnepf, S.V. (2019) 'Socioeconomic inequality and student outcomes across education systems'. In Volante, L., Schnepf, S.V., Jerrim, J, Klinger, D.A. (eds) 'Socioeconomic Inequality and Student Outcomes. Cross-National Trends, Policies and Practices'. Singapore: Springer
• Schnepf, S.V. and Volante, L. (2017) 'PISA and the Future of Global Educational Governance', in Volante, L, (ed), 'The PISA Effect on Global Educational Governance', New York: Routledge
• Bardsley, N., Büchs, M., and Schnepf, S.V. (2014) ‘Unequal emissions – unequal policy impacts: how do different areas of CO2 emissions compare?’ , in: Fitzpatrick, T. (ed), 'International Handbook on Social Policy and the Environment'. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar
• Micklewright, J. and Schnepf, S.V., (2007) ‘Inequalities in Learning in Industrialised Countries’, in S. Jenkins and J. Micklewright, Poverty and Inequality re-examined. Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Schnepf, S.V. (2007) 'Women in Central and Eastern Europe. Measuring Gender Inequality Differently'. Saarbruecken: VDM . (ISBN: 978-3-8364-2526-1)
• Schnepf, S.V., (2006) ‘How Different are Immigrants? A Cross-Country and Cross-Survey Analysis of Educational Achievement’, in C. Parsons and T. Smeeding (eds), Immigration and the Transformation of Europe, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

JRC Fairness Policy briefs

• Kovacic, M. and Schnepf, S.V. (2023) 'Loneliness, health and adverse childhood experiences'.
• Berlingieri, F., Casabianca, E., D`Hombres, B., Kovacic, M., Mauri, C., Nurminen, M., Schnepf, S. and Stepanova, E. (2023) ‘Perceptions of inequality and fairness: what has changed over the past 5 years’.
• Berlingieri, F., Casabianca, E., D'Hombres, B., Kovacic, M., Mauri, C., Nurminen, M., Schnepf, S. and Stepanova, E. (2023) ‘Preferences for redistribution and social policies in the EU’.
• Schnepf, S.V., Boldroni, M. and Blasko, Z. (2022) 'Can schools mitigate young people from feeling lonely: An analysis across Europe'.
• Buchs, M., Ivandrova, I. and Schnepf, S.V. (2022) 'Options for socially just and effective climate policies – a microsimulation for 27 EU countries'.
• Blasko, Z. and Schnepf, S.V. (2020) 'Educational inequalities in Europe and physical school closures during Covid-19'.
• Schnepf, S.V., Blasko, Z. and d’Hombres, B. (2019) 'Socio-economic background and educational inequalities'.
• Colagrossi, M., d’Hombres, B. and Schnepf, S.V. (2019) 'Like (grand)parent, like child? Multigenerational persistence of socio-economic status in the European Union'.
• Schnepf, S.V., Bastianelli, E. and Blasko, Z. (2019)'Studying abroad - benefits and unequal uptake'.
• D’Hombres, B., Schnepf, S., Barjakova, M., Teizeira Mendonca, F. (2018) 'Loneliness – an unequal shared burden in Europe'.

JRC Reports

• Co-author (2020) of 'Beyond averages - Fairness in an economy that works for people' JRC Science for Policy Report.
• Schnepf, S.V., Castano Munoz, J., Sanchez Barrioluengo, M., Biagi, F. and Blasko, Z. (2020) '‘Graduates’ labour market outcomes in four European countries: the role of teaching load and research excellence', JRC Science for Policy Report.
• Schnepf, S.V. (2018) 'Insights into survey error of large scale educational achievement surveys', JRC Technical Report.
• D’Hombres, B., Langedijk, S. and Schnepf, S.V. (2017), Chapter 2 and 4 of the JRC report 'What makes a fair society? Insights and evidence', Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg
• Elia, L., Santangelo, G., & Schnepf, S.V. (2015). Synthesis report on the 'Pilot projects to carry out ESF related counterfactual impact evaluations'. European Union.
• Micklewright, J. and Schnepf, S.V. (2006) 'Response Bias in England in PISA 2000 and 2003', Report of the Department for Education and Skills
• Adamson, P., Brown, G. Micklewright, J., Schnepf, S.V. and Wright, A. (2003) A League Table of Child Maltreatment Deaths in Rich Nations, UNICEF Innocenti Report Card, Issue No. 5
• Adamson, P., Brown, G. Micklewright, J., Schnepf, S.V., Waldmann, R. and Wright, A. (2002) 'A League Table of Educational Disadvantage in Rich Nations', UNICEF Innocenti Report Card, Issue No. 5